…even as the blow knocked the breath out of me, I knew that this one was going to hurt for awhile. .. later that day, actually early the next morning the doctor at the ER confirmed that the difficulty I was having taking a full breath and the gripping pain was in fact connected to the ribs I cracked as I hit the ground. It was so ironic that I had just facilitated a discussion at lunch reminding folks how simply sitting on a horse did not equate with riding….and that even on a quiet and mellow day partnering with horses requires a consistent centered focus that was ready to respond to the totally unexpected. It is frustrating that I do not even know what happened first. It was a clear and windy day, the trail was mellow, following along a ranch 2-track w/ views of Humphrey’s peak looming to the south and the occasional Elk ducking into the woods out in front of us. I had walked w/ Moki all morning spending time to better understand the little mustang mare that has been my partner, and had just stepped up on Crow Feather for the afternoon. We were standing as a group waiting for the last rider to mount,. I thought the herd spooked, but others report that Crow simply bolted. I settled in to my seat for the ride and remembered Crow’s willingness to cut hard left and dump his right shoulder. Having taken that exit ramp before I shortened my reins to ask him around to the right to close that particular option…as a seemingly impish compromise he stopped short and still dropped his right shoulder. Instead of a smooth Aikdo roll to absorb the energy I simply went splat on the right side of my back. But other than a few cracked ribs what was the impact of my fall? We have taken a few layover days to catch up on academics, logistics, to let my body start what will no doubt be a slow healing process. and to adjust our travel plans. While I do not necessarily believe there was a message in my unplanned dismount, it did get my attention in a big way. While we have been traveling through amazing country, with spectacular weather, and a great group of folks to work and play with, there has been very little space to breathe… In order to reduce the chance of complications I have been taking alot of deep breaths. It often takes alot to get me to slow down…to stop. Instead I am constantly adding one more thing, one more great idea, one more project to the plate…and ideas and projects tend to have just enough life of their own to run away with me. However today, this week, for this expedition I am trying to do something different…to re-focus on why we are here, what will make this an amazing learning opportunity for all of our expedition members…to slow down and take the time it takes to just do a few pieces well. Not that the other pieces are not important, or even pressing…but for a while I will simply be walking slow, with my right side as a steady reminder for each wild and wonderful day that I am given to be alive to have the space to breathe and to fully reflect all that matters most to me….as we head south from Flagstaff I hope to wander deeper and deeper into, to live more and more into the qualities of a traveling learning community that supports health, healing, and a good dose of happiness for all.
