Responsibility bites....

Have you ever done something that you know was the right thing to do, but you just hated having to do it? Returned the lost wallet you found (that is full of cash) to the rightful owner? Gave the extra back when the cashier gave you too much change? Returned the cute, lost puppy to his owners when you really wanted to keep him for yourself?

Seems like all the examples I can come up with have to do with giving something up. I guess I just have it on the brain lately.

Tomorrow, we are selling our horses. We have owned them for eight years, loved them for eight years. Tomorrow, their new owner is picking them up and taking them to a new home.

Logically, I know it’s the right thing to do. We don’t ride them anymore. They don’t get as much attention as they used to, as having a small farm to care of takes much more time than we could have guessed when we bought it five years ago. Not to mention how much time is involved with caring for a toddler! They will be going to live with our farrier (one who shoes horses, for you non-equestrians), who has more horsemanship skills than both my husband and I put together. I know they will be well cared for (and have all the new horseshoes they could ever need).

I also know that we could use the money spent on horse feed, shoes, hay, etc for other purposes. This “dip” in the economy has really hit home lately. I have taken a huge cut in pay and my husband is down to one job where he usually works two. Of course his job loss is not related directly to the economy and is possibly short term, but we have to be proactive.



Being responsible really bites sometimes.

NEWS FLASH: It's not all about you!!

And we are not competing for best/worst anything, so shut up already!

(Alternate title, “Shut up, you attention whore.”)

Why is it that some people (and you probably DON’T know who you are) have to make every situation about themselves? Anytime a person is telling a story, they have to tell one too, and shift the attention towards themselves? Every story they have is better (or worse, considering the circumstances) than the story that was being told by the other person. If the first person had the flu, the “one-upper” had pneumonia. If the first person’s baby learned to walk at 10 months old, the “one-upper’s” baby learned to walk at 9 ½ months. If the first person broke their foot, the “one-upper” broke their leg. I’m sure you know many people like this. I know I do, and truth be told, am getting sick of it. IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU!!

Now, there is a fine line between telling a related story that serves to support rather than one-up another person’s story. Telling those stories is fine in moderation. A quick blurb here and there to show the original speaker that you are relating to their story is good feedback. People like it when others relate to what they are saying. It makes them feel accepted and understood. But if you cut them off in order to tell them how easy they got off, or how what happened to them was nothing compared to what happened to you, STOP YOURSELF. Let someone else get some attention for a change.

This has been a public service announcement…..


Oh, and I read somewhere that people prefer blog posts with pictures, so while this is mostly unrelated, here’s a picture: