My Thighs Hurt, And Other Random Things.

1. My thighs really do hurt. Sorry if that TMI, but it's from my riding lessons. I'm an really, really happy to be back in the saddle, but I forgot how much I despise two-point. Two-point is the reason that my thighs hurt and my instructor thinks that I'm slightly crazy.
2. Since I'm on the topic of horses, outside of my lessons I have been riding 16.2. hands of gorgeous bay thoroughbred named Map Maker. Like me, Mappy is a little messed up, though. He has Head-Shaking Syndrome. He's really just a sweet horse with a pretty skittish personality and bad luck. Also, he has the most incredible and huge trot ever. Everybody says that when I ride him, Map is a different horse. They say he's more alert, but also more relaxed and braver and that he "loves his Margaret." I wouldn't know if he was any different because I don't know how he was to ride before. Obviously. But when I'm riding him, I can feel when he really wants to move out, especially at the trot, but is too scared to take the lead. The other day, I could feel when he finally overcame his fear and decided to move ahead. As he kept going he extended and extended his trot until he was flying and leaving the other two horses in the dust. In fact, I had to hold him back. As he went, he got more and more confident, I could feel it. He still spooked sideways at some very scary shadows, but he was just such a good boy. Honestly, I feel like I ride him well because I can understand him. I know that might sound a little weird, but I know what it's like to feel too scared to move out, even when you really want to. I know what it's like to feel trapped inside yourself. I get it, Mappy, I get you.
3. I am love with a little thing called Pandora Radio. If you've never tried it, you really should. See, I'm even providing you with the link. I highly recommend the Love Like Woe Radio, which I am currently listening to.
4. For Lent this year, I didn't give anything up, but I made a resolution instead. Every night, I write down three positive things. I haven't really told anyone, because whenever I do, I get mocked about it. But the other night, when I was having a really, really hard time with my stupid, messed-up mind, I read all the things I've written so far. It helped. When I first pulled out the diary, I read the entries in it from 2009, when I did the same thing, only with one thing per day. I cried. Almost every day had something about Mickey.
5. That is all. For now.