Jumping Over Sticks

I had a horse riding lesson last night in preparation for an upcoming competition.  I used to get much more nervous about horse shows, and jumping competitions made me even more stressed.  I put so much time and resources into preparing, so I felt pressure to nail it at the horse show.  It’s great to care about something enough to get emotional about it, and I don’t care any less about riding now than I did when I was a kid.  But when I was practicing last night, I thought about how I’m just jumping over sticks.  Riding horses isn’t easy, but it’s also not as serious as it can sometimes feel.  It’s the same with any sport.  Sure, it’s competitive and even professional at the highest levels.  But if you look at the multi billion dollar sports industry from a more simplistic perspective, we’re just playing games.  (Don’t tell my boyfriend I said that.  The Met’s lost last week, and emotions have been high.  Baseball is NOT just a game.)

All this to say – it’s great to be passionate.  It’s important to care and to try our best.  But in the grand scheme of things, what really needs to be taken that seriously?  We’re all doing our best to move through life despite the obstacles.  The least we can do is choose to laugh them off.