Curve Balls in Competition

I work for the 4-H program in my area. For those of you who don't know, 4-H is a program designed for youth ages 8-18. There are many parts to 4-H; everything from sewing to talents, to livestock and horse programs. I am heavily involved in the livestock and horse areas.

This week was the state horse show. The state show is the culminating event for the horse show season. Participants have to successfully competed in at least two small district shows and the county show. From there, the top 10 participants in each age division (junior, intermediate and senior) are invited to compete and represent the county at state. The kids have worked really hard and were well prepared for the show. As I sat through two days of nonstop events, watching the kids from my county compete, I realized that there is no such thing as a sure thing. I watched a few kids, that had sped through the speed events at the qualifier shows, run some of their slowest times. I also watched as some kids broke their personal records. I sat through 90 degree weather one day and waded through pouring rain the next. Sometimes a kid would have a perfect run until the last barrel messed everything up. There is no such thing as a sure thing. Life is always throwing curve balls at us. Maybe it is not getting a job you really want or being turned down for a date. Maybe it is losing an item that you really need and not finding it until the day after you need it. Maybe it is an unexpected rainstorm or a bad time in a speed event at a horse show. I can't tell you what curve balls life is going to throw, all I know is that there will be curve balls. When they do happen it is our job to learn what to do with them. I watched as kids fought back tears when their results didn't meet their expectations. I also watched as other kids came up to console them and then cheer them on even louder in their next event. Even if they didn't win it didn't matter, all the mattered was that they tried. The same goes for life. Sometimes we will swing at a curve ball and miss, but all that matters is that we took a swing. There really is no such thing as a sure thing, but I guess that is what keeps life interesting. 

The Cow Lesson

This week I helped a friend at a dairy. This dairy milks twice a day and has about 250 cows. While milking on Friday night there were some... problems. Cows wouldn't go through the pathways correctly and they were having issues walking. One cow came through backwards and fell. She fell in such a way that she couldn't get up. This was very frustrating. It was hard seeing this cow struggle and it made us work much later than we had to. It would have been so much easier for this cow to follow the path correctly the first time, as she had done hundreds of times before. We finally had to get the tractor to pull her out of the barn and then tie hobbles to her legs. Hobbles control the space a cow can step.
 This experience put a very valuable Gospel lesson in perspective. Structure is there to help us in our lives. The pathways in the barn were there for the cows safety. They made it so the cow could be milked, which keeps it healthy, and so it could pass through without falling and injuring itself. When the cow didn't follow the rules it struggled, fell and got stuck. This is a lot like the Gospel. Some people feel that the Gospel has too many rules and that it keeps us from having fun. This isn't the case. Heavenly Father knows that our path is very dangerous yet He also knows that we must move along it in order to grow and progress. He has given us commandments to keep us safe. He also knows that sometimes we go off the path and when this happens sometimes we have to struggle. In the end we find that we cannot get up on our own, just as the cow couldn't get up once she fell, and we need the Lords help. I believe that the Lord often shows up with a tractor and chains to get us out of any mess we have gotten ourselves into. It doesn't matter if He has been working hard all day or if He is tired, He is always there to bail us out. Then He may hobble us to keep us from falling again. Even though hobbles restrict leg movement they help the cow because it keeps her legs from falling out from underneath her. Sometimes our hobbles can be our guilt from past mistakes or opportunities missed. We should know that our Heavenly Father only gives us hobbles to strengthen us and make us stronger. He knows what we need and is more than willing to give it to us and help us because He is invested in us and wants us to return to Him.
We are all like cows in some ways, We don't always follow the path and sometimes we can see our fences as constraints. However, if we submit to the will of the Lord and His plan for us we can make it back to Him safely and live happily forever. God is our farmer that has our best interests at heart, sometimes we just have to fall so we can get up with a new perspective.

Lessons from a Horse Show

This week I participated in a horse show at the Utah State Fair. While there I was reminded of a few valuable lessons.

     1. Hairspray is VERY important

     2. Confidence is key

     3. Sometimes the last place ribbon is the prettiest

Hairspray is so important at horse shows because it holds your hair in place. Every rider must have their hair in a tight bun and if it falls out it is very unprofessional. It is not uncommon to go through insanely large quantities of hairspray in just one night. Hairspray is your best friend and your biggest supporter in a show. In life everyone needs their own "hairspray". Something or someone to support them and be their best friend. "Hairspray" makes you look your best and keeps you together when you are getting thrown around on the crazy ride of life. My real life "hairspray" would be my friends, family and the Gospel. They are there to share in my accomplishments, hold me up during the disappointments and hold things together when life gets crazy. Hairspray is VERY important. 

I was at this show with my Aunt Kris and my four year old cousin Madison. Madison has been riding since she was born and she rode in a lead line class during the show. A lead line class is when little kids get all dressed up to show and their parent or teacher leads them around the ring. In the end the judge cannot make a decision between all the great riders and everyone gets a trophy. It was all Madison could talk about the whole day before she showed. She got in her pretty pink shirt, boots and hat and was all ready to go. She sat up tall on that horse just like she had been taught and acted like she owned the world. She asked everyone if they liked the contestant number pinned to her back and her shirt and was constantly asking if she looked cute. When someone would compliment her she would just smile and say that she knew she was cute. This is how we all should be. Life is tough, and as adults I believe that we over-think a lot of things. Wouldn't life be easier if everyone could take a compliment, not worry what other people though and have confidence in themselves? Think of how many problems that would solve. I hope that I can have half the confidence Madison has and be half as happy as she is. Confidence is key. 

The horse I was riding at this show is called Vapor. He is a fifteen year old Arabian gelding that has not been shown since he was 5. I was showing him because his owners are trying to sell him and needed to get him out in the arena again. One of my classes had four horses in it. We had a rough ride and ended up taking 4th place. My ribbon was a small white ribbon that I was not very proud of because I knew we could do better. The next day I rode in a championship class with the same four horses. Vapor had had a really rough day. He had cut his tongue open, hit his head on his stall and had been deathly afraid of anything that moved (there are a lot of things that move at a fair). I was very nervous as we warmed up for our class and knew that it was going to be a hard one. We went in and rode our best and took..... 4th place again. However, this time my ribbon was very large, multicolored and very pretty.  I felt good with our efforts in the class and knew that Vapor had done his best for me, all things considered. It is important to remember that we don't always take 1st place. Sometimes everyone you are competing against is a national champion and you feel very out of place, but none of that matters as long as you feel good about what you have done. You alone understand your strengths. You know when you have done the best that you can do and that is good enough. 

I encourage everyone to utilize your "hairspray". Lean on family, friends and the Gospel to help you through the challenging times and be "hairspray" for someone else. Remember that confidence is key. Fake it until you make it and know that having faith in yourself is half the battle. When you do those things you will find that sometimes the last place ribbon really is the prettiest.