12/18/2025
I grew up quickly.
Before I learned how to be little,
I learned how to be steady.
I became someone others could lean on.
I learned to stay quiet,
to read the room,
to hold things together without being asked.
I owe you an apology for that.
For how early I asked you to be strong.
For how rarely I let you rest.
Somewhere along the way,
I learned it felt safer to rely on myself.
To carry things alone
rather than risk being let down.
And then there were horses.
They became my escape,
not from responsibility,
but from the weight of it.
They showed up without expectations.
They asked only for honesty,
for presence,
for me to be real.
On their backs,
I could soften.
I could breathe.
I didn’t have to carry anyone else.
They carried me.
The refuge that, to this day, still holds me.
Especially, on the days
I don’t know how to hold myself.
Horses have always shown up.
And because of them,
I’m learning to show up gently too.
For me.
-My sweet sweet mare who has been a consistent presence in my life for almost 16 years 🤍
