November

I have a confession to make.  Are you ready?  I LIKE November.  

Those of you who don’t live in the Northeast are probably thinking, “Big deal.”  But for those of you who live in this climate, I can almost hear the gasps of shock.  

Why do I like November?  I’ll tell you.  I have thought for a long time that November gets a bad rap.  October foliage is a tough act to follow, sure, but November is quite lovely too, with the varying shades of silver and brown.  And the visibility in November is spectacular!  Being able to look deep into the woods offers a perspective we don’t get the rest of the year, not even in springtime.  Also, my daughter Hannah, one of my favorite people in the world,  was born in November.  

Mind you, I have not always been a fan of November, and I still don’t enjoy the endless days of rain  and gray that we can get.   But overall, I really like the whole hunkering down for winter feeling—more cooking, making sure my horses are tucked in and cozy for the night.  Nothing like the sound of rain on the roof while listening to my horses contentedly munching their hay, then going back in the house for some nice hot soup!

So many things in life come down to perspective.  You know, the whole glass half full/half empty thing.  It can be so easy to focus on the negative aspects of anything. Think about your horse.  For instance, do you have the mindset that,”My horse doesn’t like ring work—he gets so bored!” Is it your horse that doesn’t like it, or is it really YOU who gets bored? Or maybe you spend a lot of time wishing something about your life was different—a different horse, different place to live, different job.  All of these may be valid things in your life that need changing.  But two thoughts come to mind.  It’s easy to spend a lot of time wishing things were different and imagining how much better our lives would be if they were.  Wouldn’t this time be better spent enjoying what we have, and finding the beauty in it?  And it is so easy to spend time wishing for a change, without actually doing anything about it.  Not a very satisfying way to live!

I invite you to consider that your glass is half full.  Happy Thanksgiving!