Heart and Desire

Savvy Spotlight Story

I

ran across a post from Rebecca on a Yahoo group - there are a LOT of regional Yahoo groups, if you're looking to connect beyond the Savvy Club forum.  She was so excited by her Spotlight experience, I asked her to tell her story.  Get yer hankies ready! 

In her own words:

An Amazing Journey

 
A little over a year ago a new teacher entered my life.  Little did I know that this new teacher, who took the form of a beautiful 16.2 hh Hanoverian, would teach me about the more subtle things in horsemanship, feel and a new level of leadership in particular.
 
Aramis (lovingly known as Arie) came to me a labeled biter, kicker, man-hater and was said to be dangerous, vicious and unpredictable.  He would charge while in a stall with ears back, teeth bared.  When given shots he would try to bite, strike and rear and his neck would swell up to the size of a grapefruit.  As a yearling he was physically held down by 4 grown men so the vet could administer shots, but only after they had attempted to twitch him and put a chain on him.  He had been through 2 professional predators who forced and pushed him and still couldn't do anything with him.  His owner sent him to an equine behaviorist to "have him fixed" and Arie did well with her because she was more natural, but he still had a lot of issues.  When the behaviorist didn't have time for him, his owner tried to sell him with no success and was going to put him down because of his aggressive behavior.  A friend suggested she donate him to a college for their riding program before she made that decision.  That only made things much, much worse.  No one, aside from a Parelli student and the vet, was allowed to handle him.  It was so bad that any time he was brought out into the hallway he had a metal muzzle on to prevent him from biting people.  The owner was going to put him down for sure this time if no one wanted him.
 
When I arrived to pick Arie up, that night I thought, "What have I gotten myself into?"  I was questioning my savvy level and had no idea if I had the skills necessary to deal with a horse who had these horrible feelings toward people.  I decided that I was his last chance and if I couldn't handle it I would find a Parelli Professional to help me.
 
You know that saying, "Be careful what you wish for?"  That is very true!  I wanted a horse who had issues like trailer loading, clipping.....I didn't get that.  What I got was another level of issues, extreme issues that I had never encountered before.  Arie had extreme behaviors in each quadrant of the Horsenality chart: biting for LBE, aggression for LBI, catatonic for RBI and bracy for RBE.  I figured the RBE would go away once he settled into his new environment because he is an innately LB horse, and I was right.  So he turned out to be tri-polar!  Those first couple of months were........very hard to say the least.  It was hard letting go of his past, I was thinking of him as this broken horse.  Once I let it go, that is when I started making big progress with him.  Hmm, how interesting!
 
A lot of firsts started happening: the first time he felt comfortable asking me a question; the first time he didn't go catatonic when I trimmed his feet; the first time he walked over a ground pole with confidence (he had been pushed very hard in eventing training); the first time he had shots with me and he only swelled up in 2 spots the size of a quarter which were gone in 2 days; the first time I had enough confidence to ride him with leadership.....I had told myself that I didn't have to ride that horse for 2 years if that's what it took.  It took me about 3 months before I rode him.
 
Fast forward to this year: Arie and I got accepted to participate in the Savvy Spotlight at the Kansas City, MO Celebration!  I did Level 3/4 online with him and it was the most amazing experience!!  I was SO proud of him!  He exceeded all of my expectations (well, I didn't really have expectations, I was just going to address the horse that showed up) and the day before the Celebration I was riding him around bareback in the arena!  HUGE for both of us!  Our class went really well considering all the scary predators in the stands! haha.  Pat gave me a lesson on how to improve my drive (I had too much draw) and I couldn't believe Pat himself was standing right there next to me, teaching me!  At one point, while Pat was loving on Arie (whose head was buried in Pat's chest, eyes closed) I told him he was a said "man hater" and he and the audience just laughed.  Pat was disgusted when I told him he was going to be put down if no one had wanted him.  The rest of the weekend was AMAZING!  Each time I played with Arie he offered me more and more, simply because of fixing my drive.  His play drive came up, he was more positive.....he even offered me, according to a Parelli Professional, Level 4 Liberty!
 
Since the Celebration Arie and I have been having way more fun, on the ground and riding.  It's amazing how fixing one simple thing can fix so many smaller things.  Pat's a master, no doubt about it!  What he taught me was exactly what I was missing.  I mentioned earlier how Arie helped me with feel and a new level of leadership; feel is hard to explain, you really have to experience it yourself, but I feel things (the rope, the reins, my energy, his energy) differently now, and I've found that perfect level of leadership for him.  Again, this is hard to explain, with Arie things can be very subtle and precise, but he's never put his heart into things like he does now.  That speaks more than words.
 
A new degree of firsts are happening: the first time I jumped him under saddle; the first time he really "got" Freestyle riding (he had been micromanaged A LOT in his past life); the first time I felt that complete harmony when we did lengthening at the trot and canter in our Finesse play......all of this is happening right now.  It makes it hard to think that at one time I was afraid of this amazing horse.  Feeling success with Arie has given me a lot more confidence in myself and in my skills and savvy.  It's been a hard and sometimes scary road, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I've grown as a person and as a horse woman from what he has taught me.  I feel more empowered than ever before and I have Arie and Pat to thank for that.  Pat gave me a gift when he gave me that lesson at the Celebration.  I will be forever grateful to him and Linda for what they have done for horses and horse lovers all over the world.  Parelli is literally saving the lives of horses.  Words cannot describe how deep my passion goes for this program and for doing what I can to spread the word about Parelli.
 

Rebecca Eddins, Kansas City, MO

Heck, yeah! Rebecca, you did it!

The Spotlight Experience

There are only a few of the 2009 Celebrations remaining - which means there are only a few opportunities to be in the Savvy Spotlight this year!  Of course, if Pat Parelli's Dream becomes a reality, (and there's a good chance of that happening based on his record so far!) the Savvy Spotlights will be a PART of the FUTURE of Horse Showing, allowing Horse Lovers to get their competitive needs satisfied without ever sacrificing the dignity of their horse.  Pat's working out the details and specifics of these Parelli Games Competitions - so keep on the look out for that. 

Meanwhile, I continue to be inspired talking to the folks who have stepped into the Spotlight to show their Savvy.  Here's a GREAT story from Sandyjean, who recently participated at the Reno Celebration.  In her own words:

Right after I signed up for the Spotlight for Finesse, I found my sister had cancer. She was put in the hospital and was in terrible pain. She lives about 2 and a half hours from me and I went to see her at least one day a week but usually more. When I go, I spend the entire day. Even if she didn't know I was there, I knew. During that time, I continued to run my 2 businesses. One is a horse training and boarding facility with about 40 horses.

"I didn't hear from Parelli so I assumed that I hadn't been chosen and was really rather glad with all that was going on. I got a chance to kiss my horse now and then, but that was about all. About 2 weeks before the Spotlight, she had a miraculous recovery. She is now home and walking and talking. (something she hadn't done for several weeks)

"Right after that (a week and a half before the spotlight) I learned that I had been chosen. My horse is rather unusual. He was brought to me to start when he was nearly 7 years old and when he was young, he was a bottle baby. We have a good relationship, but it has been a very long and difficult road. He has never felt he needed a leader. Because of this, I am never quite sure what his reaction to things is going to be.

"I had ridden him for 4 days at a "Bucarette" ride with 4 of my clients the previous week, but that was just about all we had done in 3 months. Still, the Spotlight was something very special so I decided to go for it. I prepared a program, my husband took care of the music, and I hauled my horse to anything I could think of the the next week so he could be around other horses in other places.

"In Reno, we sneaked into about anything we could find that looked scarey so he could adjust. He had never been in an arena with people up in stands. A few days before we left we spent an hour with [5-Star Parelli Professional] David Lichman and got some pointers. At that time I found that we were going to have to use 4 pound breakaway ties on the reins. That was rather upsetting. It made me feel that I might not have control if he had problems with the audience, but they also put a strong tie on to so once again, I decided to go forward.

"In my program, I planned to use a platform, roses, one barrel and 6 frisbees. I also figured that if he had a problem with cantering, I could use the arena walls to steady him. One half an hour before the show I found that we couldn't use props and that we had to ride in a dressage arena. I can't describe how upset I was. I had been dreaming my program and listening to my music so I'd know just where to do what! Now, what to do. My two choices were to scratch or just go ride. I no longer had a program. I know that Pat does lots of things to challenge you. I know that I love the Parelli program. I know that it has helped me be a much better instructor for my own students. (several of whom now are working for their L 3) So....I decided to go for it.

"My horse is a LBE with Machiavellian tendencies. They put our music on, we backed into the arena and walked to the dressage arena. There, we just moved. (He is a NSH/Paint with four white legs and absolutely beautiful movement) He was very "up" but he continued around the arena. We just had fun playing with his movement. We did just a few strides of canter but it was more than he was ready for. When our two songs were done, Pat gave us our score (green ribbon) and then he used us for the next 10 minutes or more to demonstrate the way to use a dressage arena. It was absolutely wonderful. It was easy and not stressful and watching him in the movie my husband took is such a pleasure for me.

"I was thinking how much I would have missed if I had scratched. Oh, one more thing. When we were going out of the arena, Walter Zettel commented to Pat on the quietness of Mosaic's mouth and the good connection because of my hands. How could a person ask for more!!!!! I don't know if this matters, but I'm 68 years old.

"Thanks for listening.

Sandyjean Winward also wants everyone to know that her associate at the ranch, Rafe McCallister, helped her tremendously with all the running around to get Mosaic as prepared as they could.

Who wants to be This COOL when they're 68?!!


photo courtesy of Sandyjean

The Ministry of "No"

The Ministry of NO

This was a new 'Parelli-ism' for me this weekend at the Harrisburg, PA Celebration.  Pat Parelli mentioned it a couple of times - how often are we communicating with our horses, speaking their language, but all we're telling them is "No, no, no, no"?  Wow, how much fun is that to be around?  "Stop it," "Don't do that," "Cut it out," "Knock it off!"  Ugh!

What a lovely relationship we could have if, like the Jim Carrey movie, we all became "YES" men (and women)!  Wouldn't our horses love to hear our bodies say, "Yes! That was wonderful," "Yes! I love that you offered that," "YES!  Thank you for asking me a question!"

And what if we said "YES" to other areas of our lives?  "Yes!" to "Should I eat something healthy?"  "YES!" to "Should I take the stairs instead of the escalator or lift?"  "YES!" to "Should I make sure my family knows how I feel?"

It's just that simple. 

Yes?     or No....






blog post by norma

Maybe Not What You'd Expect

I was going to post today about all the wonderful things I saw at Harrisburg - from Linda's lesson with Walter Zettl, Pat playing with the rescue horse, Miss Judge and her transformation, the Savvy Spotlights that started the day, on and on - there was so much.  And I promise to write about those things in coming days. 

But the last presentation of the event spoke to me the most about the intent and result of the Parelli program.  Lauren Barwick was scheduled to demonstrate her Gold Medal winning ride from the 2008 Bejiing Paralympics - where she also won Silver, prior to winning Gold, by the way.  She has an amazing story and if you don't know it, I'll share it in detail soon. 

Today's story is very simple - Lauren came into the ring, dressed for competition, prepared to show an audience of a couple thousand people everything that she could do with her horse Maille.  The music started and Lauren began her performance.  But she soon realized that her horse wasn't comfortable, wasn't able to stretch or relax or offer the athleticism that the presentation required.  So she rode to Pat, exchanged a few words and Pat announced that Lauren was going to just ride around for a little bit and check things out.  Which she did.  And finally, she just stopped.  Lauren apologized to everyone, but said simply that Maille had traveled a long distance to get to the event, had spent several days in a concrete floored stall with little access to turnout and it had taken a toll; she was stiff and sore and it was just too much to ask of her. 

Lauren put her horse above everything else in that moment.  She protected the relationship, the trust and the promise she made to Maille to be her partner.  It didn't matter that the audience might be disappointed.  It didn't matter that Lauren wouldn't get to hear the crowd go wild after witnessing her skill and horsemanship.  It didn't matter that she had made all the effort to get there, to prepare, to groom her horse and dress herself - from her wheelchair - and get into the ring.  What did matter?  Her horse.  Period.  And that is what this program is about. 

...the crowd did go wild, by the way.  And Lauren did get her standing ovation - because the people in THIS audience agreed with her decision 100%.

I know that sometimes I've forgotten this simple principle.  Sometimes I've gone out to the barn and I've made this or that effort to get there with the intent to ride and my horse is just not 'there' for whatever reason.  But I rode anyway, because that was my plan.  Guilty.  But never again.  I couldn't have seen a better example of that lesson than what Lauren taught today.

Pictures are on their way and lots more to talk about - so stay tuned!

blog post by norma 

Harrisburg - Day Two

Holy smokes what a day - Starting with more Savvy Spotlights - Freeform, which is multiple Savvys.  So you get a little Online, some Liberty and maybe some Freestyle.  Or perhaps, Online, Freestyle and Finesse.  You choose.  We had some great demonstrations in the Spotlight this morning.

Pat came out and played with two real nice, young Atwood Ranch horses.  Cool!  Next was more progress in the relationship with Miss Judge, the Rescue Horse, provided by Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue, through association with the Humane Society of the United States.  Pat was able to get this lovely little Thoroughbred horse to where Emily Thompson, from his Mastery Program, was able to mount and ride in a bareback pad; beginning Miss Judge's 'renaturalization' program.

In the breaks, you can attend a mini-seminar - so get yourself tickets to the NEXT Celebration!!  C'mon, see us May 15th in Reno!  

After lunch, Linda did a fascinating demonstration with Allure and Remmer - showing VERY clearly the difference between the Introvert and the Extrovert.  Although there seemed to be a 'who can roll most' competition between the two horses that had everyone laughing.  Linda used different strategies for each horse to motivate them, build rapport and get them into a learning frame of mind and ready to play, connect and develop confidence, balance and willingness.

Finally, Pat brought out one of the horses from the Savvy Spotlights on Friday, who had exhibited some interesting challenges for his owner.  A really neat horse and the lesson Pat wanted to share was that sometimes we need to teach our horses just to stand there.

Of course, during all the breaks, you can come down to the arena floor and talk to the folks from the Atwood Ranch, the Humane Society of the United States, Winnie's Cookies, Cover-All, Balanced Stride with Jim Crew and, of course, Parelli Collections and Parelli Saddles are there, as well as all the Parelli education programs and equipment. 

TOMORROW (Sunday) during the first break, there will be a saddle-fitting demonstration with a lot of great information on shimming.  If you can't make it to that, Art and Leticia will always take the time to help you and get answers to ANY questions you have about Parelli Saddles.  You can also get a great DVD (for S&H costs only) on shimming, saddle-fit, the movement of a horse's back, and more - worth getting!

HARRISBURG, PA

Headed into Harrisburg this morning and I'm not sure WHEN I'll be posting, but I have my trusty Flip Video and will give you some sneaky peeks and bits at first opportunity!

Did you check out Shareparelli.com yet?  Thousands of other people have!

Meanwhile, if you're can't be in Pennsylvania or at the British Open, you CAN focus on How Light of a response you can get from your horse.  Pat says that people often don't play Porcupine game often enough - so spend 10 minutes every day this week and see if you can get cause your horse to move off a touch of "hair."

A Touch of Video from Harrisburg

Here's a tiny taste -  Sarah Sokal at Liberty - very very tiny... (give the video time to load)

Harrisburg Celebration Spotlighter!

the last gal in our Savvy Spotlight Round-up is Cheryl - here's HER story in her own words about her Journey to the Spotlight:



"Getting ready for the Savvy Spotlight that I volunteered for!! I say “it will be fun”, with a calm, smile on my face! But my insides would tell another story! There is nothing like pushing myself out of my comfort zone!! Learning about myself, my horse and gaining insight/introspection into my horse-man-ship has been a wonderful byproduct of this experience! I have been in the Parelli program for 8 years, fun, fun! Along with my husband! Even funner! I started with a RBE whom I retired at the age of 24. Now, I have a LBI! Boy, the things they have taught me!!!!!!!!!! I do not have a background in horses. I started my Parelli horse-man-ship journey at the age of 35. Here are some things that my horse, Pistolla- Cocomolla- Rock-n-rolla and I have done to prepare ourselves for the savvy spotlight! And some things that I have learned about myself! Watching all the videos over and over for ideas and support! I thought, "I know, I’ll prepare a routine for 6 minutes to music in an arena!!!" WRONG! Try to keep play time interesting! I would add something new every time we play just to keep things interesting for my LBI! Trail rides! Lots of undemanding time! I had my husband and my sister try to disturb us, with clapping, yelling, flags on carrot sticks, chain saws(!), 4-wheeler, and tractor with bucket going down and up, until we saw a change for the good!! I have learned that I need to get very particular with him before he loses interest. I learned real fast not to try a routine to music, too boring! I have had to discipline myself not to do too much! I hear Carol Coppinger saying, “if you keep do,do,do-ing, that’s what you’ll have a whole lot of: DO DO!" Doing nothing is probably one of the hardest things that I have done. I try to keep a playful attitude.
I try real hard not to get direct-line. That is difficult for me! I have discovered throughout this process that I need to play with other horses! I have a need to do more, but, it cannot always be with my LBI, I would drive him crazy! I believe that I need to be dividing things up among a few different horses. The mental growth for me has been so worth the preparation of getting ready for the Savvy Spotlight. I have a better understanding of the development of the Parelli Formula: Rapport, Respect, Impulsion, and Flexion. I’m really trying to think like my horse! I continue to be fascinated of my growth and development with my own personal horse-man-ship journey! These are all things I have learned and heard at the ISC, videos, books, magazines, ect. But, as we get ready for a savvy spotlight, there is a “whole nother level “of understanding!! Preparing for the spotlight has really opened my eyes to the complexity and finer points of human-horse communication. How the balance between curiosity, learning frame of mind and boredom, confusion can be delicate and fleeting. I keep hearing Pat say, “Get your good better, and your better, best!” I hear Linda saying, ”just play with the horse that shows up!” I have the attitude that we are doing this for a lot of fun and learning experience, only! Pat and Linda have generously given us Parelli fanatics a chance to challenge ourselves in a safe natural environment. How could I pass up this opportunity for Pat, Linda and instructors to watch us, and hopefully give us insight on our horse-man-ship!! I’ll push myself out of my comfort zone any day for that. I’m talking about bettering myself in every aspect of my life. One thing that I know for sure is that it doesn’t stop here! It only gets better and better. Pat and Linda have proven that to us! We’ll see what happens this weekend!"  ~~Cheryl A. Garards Fort, Pa.

Photos by Terra Pugh      slideshow by Animoto   Music by Katie Drake & Mary Ann Kennedy "Ready for a Change"

Mom & Daughter Find FUN in the Spotlight!

Mother and Daughter Team, Christine and Julia, will be in the Harrisburg Celebration Savvy Spotlight!  Their story is here in their own words.

First, written by 14-year-old Julia:

"I started riding when I was one and a half and I grew up riding different horses at our farm.  Banana Split is actually my first pony and I got him when I was eight.  We bought him from a field of ponies.  The lady who we bought him from wanted us to buy him for a few good reasons.  Those reasons included that he earned the “Split” part of his name and he was extremely hard to control both on the ground and riding him.  

A year after we had him, my mom and I both started doing Parelli with our horses.  It took a long time for me to pass level one with Banana, two years later I passed level two with him when I was twelve and I am now fourteen and plan on auditioning to pass level three with him before May.  We have been on the Savvy Team at two tour stops and had a lot of fun at those.  I hope to have him specialize in carriage driving or let him teach other young Parelli students through their levels in the near future."  ~ Julia.

And now from  the other half of this Dynamic Duo - Christine:

 

 "When the applications for the Savvy Spotlights at Harrisburg, PA became available, we wasted no time in having Julia submit her information.  Julia and her pony Banana Split were fortunate to be on the Savvy Team on two occasions, which was great fun for our entire family!
I really hadn't considered the thought of joining her.  It has been many years since I had been in a show ring, and I really never thought I would come close to that again.  But, while attending the Master Class at the Florida Parelli Center in February, Destiny and I participated in a Focus Group session on Savvy Spotlights and it was FUN!!

Having lived and practiced (horse) normalsville for over 40 years, fun is what I constantly needed to remind myself to have.  Being absorbed in an atmosphere of savvy support for an incredible 4 weeks allowed me to make that change and let go of many fears and frustrations.
During the final week of classes, folks were talking about the Harrisburg deadline coming up and I started to wonder.....hmm...why couldn't Julia (of whom I am ever so proud:) and I have FUN TOGETHER?  And so, with my husband's support,  we scrambled to film my spotlight and submit my application as soon as we returned home to Pennsylvania.
So what I hope for at the Celebration is that I can join my daughter in having fun, and allow her to inspire me, (as she has been doing for the past several years), to just enjoy our horse/human relationships, as well as our own:)
 
....as an ad on to Julia's story...
Julia stayed in Florida with me during the four week course.  We were fortunate enough to stay at Bill and Claudia's Forever Spring Farm, where Parelli Instructor Jerry Williams resides.  Jerry offered to give Julia a couple lessons with her pony. He gave her some great tips on how to set Banana up for flying lead changes at liberty, realizing she had a good foundation already in place.  Julia will be so proud to show Jerry their success, especially if Banana offers one during her spotlight:)
I attached a photo of Jerry with Julia and Banana, taken at Forever Spring Farm.

photos courtesy of friends of Christine  

 

Sometimes the Journey means more than the Goal...

Here's a very personal story from Harrisburg Savvy Spotlighter Sarah Sokal - please take an extra minute to read it because I think she has a great message:  Our path doesn't always look like we think it should, but perhaps it's the road we need to follow.

"To understand the relationship between my horse, Journey, and me, you have to know about Reba.  Reba was the horse I fell hopelessly in love with.  I was in my teens, competing in the sport of eventing with my own horse, Feliz, and Reba was a slightly downhill, seriously pigeon-toed cutting horse that I had been riding for fun - certainly not the intelligent choice for an ambitious young event rider’s next horse.  Not only that, she was a chestnut, and I had sworn never to own another chestnut mare.  Reba made me go back on my word, and, a few months later, she made me turn to Parelli Natural Horsemanship. 

"I was seventeen when I started studying Parelli, and it took a lot of courage to break away from the trainer I had idolized through most of my teen years, to face her hostility when I stopped taking lessons with her in favor of, “that stupid Parelli stuff.”  Reba, however, made me feel guilty for things that had never bothered me before.  In her sweet, Right Brain Introvert way she wound her way into my heart, and I could not stand to keep hurting and using her the way I had hurt and used other horses.  She gave me the courage I needed to make the best decision of my life, and, six months later, she suffered through two colic surgeries for me before I was forced to realize that I had to let her go.
 
 "Enter Journey - the unstarted, two-year-old chestnut filly that I bought only three weeks after Reba left this world.  Maybe I didn’t make the most logical choice when I chose Journey - I had never started a horse before and I only looked at three horses before picking her - but I had a feeling about her, and I was desperate.  I was in my first semester of college far away from home and had just lost the horse that was an integral part of every one of my dreams.  I needed Journey to mop up my tears.  Not the best reason to buy a horse, perhaps, but, in retrospect, I certainly can’t regret it.

"I have had Journey for almost six years now, and our road has been anything but smooth.  Reba was the first real love that I had ever lost, and it took years for me to learn how to put her passing in the proper perspective.  Unfortunately, Journey had to endure the various problems that arose between us as a result.  First, I felt guilty for getting Journey so soon after Reba’s death.  Later, I compared my attachment to Journey against my love for Reba and found it sorely lacking.  I wondered if I would ever love Journey, and I began to think that Journey and I were just not meant to be with each other, not blessed with that spark that made Reba and I special.  I almost sold Journey twice.  The second time, I was planning on getting out of horses altogether; I was tired of looking for something that might not ever exist for me again.  For four years, Journey and I teetered on the edge of ending our relationship.  Sometimes we would have a few good months in a row, but always the guilt and doubt came back to haunt me.  Although we continued to progress through Level 2 and then Level 3, there was always something missing between us.  There was always something wrong.

"I wish I could identify the exact reason for the change that finally allowed us to move beyond that, but the best I can do is identify the approximate timing.  In the spring of 2007, Journey and I spent six weeks at the Parelli Center in Florida, and, at some point during that six weeks, I must have subconsciously made the decision that she was for me and I for her.  Maybe the timing was just right, or maybe they’re working some kind of secret magic behind the scenes at the Parelli Center, or maybe it was a combination of both, but that little decision turned out to be a big leap forward for Journey and I.

"In the last two years I have learned lots of techniques and details and concepts that have contributed to my success with Journey, but all of that is just the icing on a cake that finally started to taste just right.  After four long and sometimes very painful years, Journey and I were finally able to connect without doubt and without guilt, and that change at the very core of our relationship cleared the way for everything that has happened since.  The last two years have had their own ups and downs, but the downs don’t cut as deep as they once did, and the ups … the ups are truly unreal.  I love Journey more all the time, more than I even knew to hope for, and I look back on the path we’ve traveled and am so grateful for every day, every pain, and every joy we’ve experienced together.
 
"Historically, Liberty has been my weakest savvy, probably because I wanted it so very badly.  Nothing frustrated me so much as when I would ask Journey to trot next to me at Liberty and she would spin and bolt the other way, and spinning and bolting was her default answer for most of my requests at Liberty - possibly because frustration was my default response :-).  Although I wasn’t really aware of it at the time, I think I took my failures at Liberty so hard because I knew inside that Journey was telling me that our relationship had a big hole in it.  She was telling me that, until I was ready to put her first, to love her truly instead of using her as a vehicle to my ambitions, she wasn’t about to give herself to me.  When our Liberty quite suddenly started coming together in November 2007, I knew that our relationship had really started to change.

"Liberty has become symbolic of that change to me, so, when I was trying to decide which savvy to do a Spotlight in, I knew that there was really no choice.  When I considered the Liberty Spotlight and hesitated over the things that might go wrong, I realized that nothing can really go wrong so long as I keep my priorities straight.  My Spotlight will be for Journey first, for me second, and for everybody else after, because if it’s good for Journey, it will be good for me, and if it’s good for us, it will be the best we have to offer to anyone who happens to be watching."

photos and post courtesy of Sarah Espinoza-Sokal