Dear Reader,
I may have been a bit dramatic about the weather, it warmed up significantly in the last two weeks, we have even had some days in the eighties. I made it a point to not complain about it being warmer, though, because I know there will be days in the winter when I am longing for a warm day and sunshine. Don’t tell my little sister, but October is my favorite month. Especially now that I can actually enjoy some cool weather with it. The sister in question was born in October and thinks Autumn is the most wonderful time of the year and should be a national holiday. I was a little puzzled and slightly disappointed this year that she did not have the house smelling like pumpkin spice on September 1st, but then I went down to her bedroom to put something of hers away and for sure smelled like it.
That is an odd thing, living in a bigger house after spending most of your life in a 900-square-foot home with seven other people. It is nice to have our own spaces now and not be on top of each other all the time, but at the same time it makes me a little sad that we are not all so close together. In our old house, even if you were in the other room, you still could hear everyone. Growing up in close quarters with your siblings builds character, but I also enjoy having my own room and space, especially now that we are all adults and have our own things. My book collection was starting to compete with my sister’s wardrobe in our old house, and I was severely short on shelf space.
I am glad that I grew up in a house where I had to share my room with sisters even though I did complain about it. Sometimes I think about how the space that we did have was probably a lot compared to other places in the world and that the space we have now is an unattainable luxury in parts of the world. I am not ashamed of American standards, but when you compare it to how other people live, it makes you grateful for what you do have and puts into perspective of what you don’t have. Modern American standards say that you have to have this and that or you are not successful. It also puts a lot of pressure on young Americans to immediately have the status that their parents have, even if realistically, it took their parents years to achieve that level of living.
One idea in America right now that puts undue pressure on young people is that you need to move out of your parents’ house immediately when you turn 18. Why is it considered a good idea for someone to move out at barely an adult age, to struggle to pay rent and make questionable decisions while also trying to figure out what they want to do with their life. Of course, some circumstances require this, but most don’t. I think that my generation would have less anxiety if they did not feel the pressure to have so much on their plate at such an early age. People often complain that the younger generation is slow to achieve maturity and responsibility, but I wonder if they would achieve adult independence more quickly if they had a better launching pad and safety net. A launching pad that allowed them to focus on what they can do and to develop the skills that they need along the way, and a safety net that they know is there if they fail and where they can regroup. It can be hard to get a start in life if you are just trying to keep your nose above water, so why would we go along with a societal norm that creates unnecessary hardship?
Let me step off my soap box.
In other news I have started riding the colts that I bought. Only for about twenty minutes at a time though. I say that their age is that of a middle schooler and also their attention span. One colt, Maclin, is a big dun. He is not quite two yet but is almost as big or bigger than most of our grown horses. I am just glad that I am starting him now, so I don’t have to try to mountain climb up an unbroken horse when he gets bigger. He is a big puppy and often runs into me because he is not paying attention. Marlin is quite the opposite. Marlin is a smaller, red roan colt, who has to trust you before he performs. I named him after the horse on the Marlin guns, and he a bit of a pistol. But once he gets used to a new concept, he masters it much more quickly than Maclin. If Marlin is a pistol, Maclin is a steady tank. I am thankful at least one of them is too lazy to buck.
