Monday, September 20, 2010

Wisdom from Grandma B


“The best way to ride a horse is the way it is going.”
– Grandma Bennett


My Grandma is a hilarious and strong woman. She is the mother of eight children. That’s right folks, eight children! Ocho, Ocht, Octo, Huit! She loves sweets, food, and wine. She loves to travel and take her family with her on those adventures. She has the driest sense of humor. She is so generous and has an indescribable amount of patience. This is a piece of wisdom that my Grandma has shared with us. I can’t help but think the horse is a metaphor for life. Sometimes it stinks, sometimes it is breathtakingly gorgeous, sometimes it makes your eyes blurry and itchy, and it’s always powerful. I’m not sure how many of you have ever been on a horse when it’s ready to run. If you try and force your way without being in harmony with the horse, you’re in for a very…very bumpy ride.


We grew up going to my grandparent’s farm most weekends. I spent a lot of time on a horse. There was one day that I wanted to go on a nice trot around the ring and let’s just say “Mulligan” (the horse) wanted to go a bit faster. As much as I dug my heels into its sides or pulled on the reigns, that horse was going to run. I was fighting it tooth and nail. The next thing I know I’m looking at the errr...undercarriage of ole Mulligan and my head and upper body are flailing around as if I was at a KISS concert. Mulligan finally stops after an ample amount of dirt, leaves, and manure have filled every orifice on my body. I slowly plop down onto the ground trying to catch my breath.


There was nothing scary about the horse wanting to go faster, I would have been safe. I had galloped before. And I definitely wouldn’t have been coughing up hay for the next week. Life will go faster or go down a different path that you might be wanting. Hear Grandma’s words, “The best way to ride a horse is the way it is going.”


Grandma with her 8 children... and horses...and dog. She was tired.

But not too tired to kick some tail in pool.


And definitely not too tired to be gorgeous!

1 comment:

  1. sks1920@bellsouth.netSeptember 21, 2010 at 5:38 AM

    Best yet Martha and well said! What a gorgeous woman indeed!

    ReplyDelete