Becoming Brave: Part 10 - Let Laughter Be Our Anthem

Becoming Brave

No. 10

Let Laughter Be Our Anthem

Out in the middle of the forest, the only sounds are the birds and the crunching of brush beneath our horse's hooves.

Bo and I are doing much better at this point. I have a prayer, and I literally say it every time I get on to this day. Out loud. For both of us. "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for this day! I pray we have no spooks, bolts or scares and that we trust each other even more at the end." Now, I don't know about the no spooks, bolts or scares. Those can still happen. But I'll tell you what: gradually I became less afraid of them. We build on trust with each ride, with each prayer. And there is not a more serene place to be than the woods. Whenever I'm out there I always ask myself why I'm not there more often. Can you relate? It's... peaceful.

But not today. No, my majestic horse doesn't really like water. And we had a creek to cross. There was quite literally no getting around it. And we stood there for ten minutes as I tried to coax him forward. I did all I knew but he would not budge. Finally I handed over my reigns - a horribly vulnerable feeling - and my trainer tried to pony me across thinking he'd follow behind her horse. Instead of going down the slope toward the water he jumped up onto the ledge on our right, reigns still barely in her grip. I took a sharp breath feeling him flex beneath me, "Bo, whoa, no," I stroke his neck and lean forward ever so carefully reaching for my now lost reigns. "Don't you dare jump," I say to him sternly. "Don't you dare."

His body relaxed when I finally caught the stray reigns, as if to say Phew! The right person's in control again. That was a close call, Sarah, we nearly drowned. I saved-ed us.

And suddenly I laughed at him. Actually laughed. "What are you doing?"

We still stood on the edge. But. We can't let worry be the soundtrack of our life. I want mine to be laughter.

Not because something isn't scary.

But because I want to make the choice of who I am. And I am not going to be afraid.

We walked right across that water with no qualms.

Love, Sarah