Yesterday I cantered 3 laps around the arena! It was so much fun! To ride the canter, you just sit in the saddle and go with the flow. It's not as easy as it sounds though - because your balance has to be perfect and you have to be in sync with the horse. This gait is quite fast at around 15miles/hr so any fall would be bad. So I asked for advice if I was to lose balance and for some reason the horse wouldn't stop (I've witnessed first hand when a girl was supposed to canter but the horse went to a gallop and wouldn't stop, he finally stopped when the girl lost balance and fell off). My instructor said to look for a spot on the ground and jump to it :D It's no laughing matter though, I'm sure I'll have to do that someday! Should be interesting.
As I was driving home, I felt so carefree and overall just happy. If only I could ride more often! But that requires money and currently, I'm pretty much constantly broke. 3 years later when I get a real job and real money, I shall be riding every other day, travel around the world and make up to my parents for all the money they have given me over the years.
Who said money can't buy happiness? I say it sure can. Though you have to know how to spend it and more importantly, appreciate the things or pleasures it brings. Once appreciation is gone and replaced with taking things for granted, all the money in the world will not bring you happiness. I hope I won't ever lose sight of this - but it's not like I'll become a multimillionaire or something! If I happen to become that wealthy, I would travel around the world helping people. Not in terms of giving out food, medical supplies or shelter but more aiming at setting up education. Sorry to say this but I think it's quite short sighted to focus on the result rather than the cause. Having an education will allow people to survive and provide for themselves and that would a long term achievement. That would be fantastic to do!
err... i dunno how the bit abt making up to parents for the money they've given fit in. you know, although the salary might sound a lot, it is not - take away tax, living expenses etc... mortgage. u really won't have much. and talk abt riding every other day...
ReplyDeleteI don't mean give back the money, I don't think they'd care or need it - I meant being a good and loving daughter (like I am now :P)
ReplyDeleteMortgage? Is it paying back a loan? You can see how much thought I've given this. I think I'll be getting 100k a year, take away tax = 60-70k, then there is living expense etc, let that be what Caltech is paying me now = 24k, so I'll have more than 30k left a year. More than enough to ride every other day and also put some money away. And I'm going to get a German Shepard pup from a shelter too.