Fun

Yesterday was different.

It was busy, but it is always busy on Saturdays. Lydia lead the hands on demonstration of shearing a Hog Island sheep with hand shears. Program participants dug up several mulberry trees and brought them over from the Peninsula and planted them here.

Curie has been working with Matchcoor for the last few months and yesterday she tacked him up and I lead them around for the horse's first ride. A pair of young students had their first experience cantering in the woods trails. A bear stood in the middle of one of the trails, giving every rider who saw him a glimpse back in to Tidewater's natural history.

Abigail set some fence post and poles to shore up the rail fence on the new land. Audrey played a Hawaiian steel guitar for the first time. Emma fiddled on the porch. Ariyana and Ming played guitar. A new family came out for a tour of the horse lot and an opportunity to see how we do things.

We went out on three rides.

And there was much laughing. People were having fun.

That is not a word that I think of when I think of the horse lot. I think of the horse lot primarily as an educational institution. I think of it as a place of meaning. I think of it as a place of healing and solace.

I have out grown fun. Satisfaction fills the place in me that was once filled by fun--back when Lido was little and we trained horses. I don't feel "fun" anymore but I do enjoy seeing it in others, particularly little ones.

Sweaty, dust covered little girls. A bench made of a feed pan and a plank and a puppy held between them---and they were having fun. Tremendous fun.

And that gave me satisfaction. Tremendous satisfaction.