Kristine E. Brickey

This piece came about as a response to a prompt from The Book of Alchemy , by Suleika Jaouad, that my 3rd Saturday Book Club recently began reading. Each of the ten chapters focuses on a theme and holds an intro followed by ten pieces created by different writers that each hold a writing prompt.  "How are you really?" was the piece and prompt by Nora McInerny, from the first Chapter, On Beginning. Friday, July 18th, 2025    I am really, really, really happy at this moment, sitting on the soft dark blue cushioned chair that makes me think of my friend Lori-she gave us this entire set, four chairs and lava rock square fire pit table all. Every time I sink into one of these, I smile and think of Lori But I am happy to the max because this day has been perfection. My memoir beta draft is in the hands of three readers. It is up to them now. I pushed away the panic earlier and gave it up to Fate. If they hate it, or love it but tell me NO WAY should it be published, so be it. I...

It's been a rough couple of weeks around here if I'm being totally honest. Covid. Fallout symptoms of exhaustion and a heaviness in my lungs and chest that keep my 'to do list' out of attainment. I am not a person who enjoys idling when there are so many things I love.  Yesterday happened. Everything was 'fine', in that nothing was really wrong...but there I sat, crying on the couch because a familiar website morphed before my eyes into a new display. Not a big deal...except, it suddenly was more than I could take.  It was the final thing, sent me over the top. Off the edge. My body shook. Tears wouldn't stop. Whatever energy reserve I had fizzled away, leaving me empty and depleted. Similar reactions had been happening in less dramatic versions the last few days, but yesterday was top notch meltdown. Eventually, I recovered, got my ducks in a row, so to speak, and moved on with other things. I took care of some less physically strenuous tractor/pasture work...

Even as 2024 taught me the power of prioritizing joy, so much so in fact that I have vowed to pursue this goal even deeper in 2025, there are still days where I feel life weighing upon my heart. This morning, as I enjoyed my morning ritual of coffee, word puzzles, and snuggles with Frankie in my little couch nest, a wave of melancholy washed over me.  I know it stems from grief.  I know it will always be with me, a lesson that solidified during my time with Becky Howell of Equine-led Holistic Success (formerly Meeting Place Equine). I stood in the barn aisle, listening to my body, asking my shoulder where and why the tension originated from. (Yes, I was initially rolling my eyes behind my closed lids...until I heard my body respond.) First, the word pain. I was stunned. Astonished. I'd truly only complied with Becky's directions, never expecting results from what I thought was a too hooey-hooey ask even for me!  And then, as I listened with a slightly more open mind, my s...

Oh, what a weekend! My heart is filled in ways that should not surprise me at this point in my life, yet here I am. Jammies on (it's only 4:45 p.m.). Hydrating. Reflecting on the Somatics Work 1 clinic that wrapped up here earlier this afternoon. Today, I did a demo for the group with my Mustangs. I brought both horses into the arena and haltered them, playing with them for a bit before everyone walked over. Becky Howell, the clinician and founder of Meeting Place Equine and I agreed that too many eyes focused on Cappy might be a bit much for him, so we decided to use Cinder for the 'observation' demo. I let Cappy back into the pasture.  Becky asked me to lead Cinder around while she pointed out different aspects on Cinder's body. Despite the windy gusts and crinkling of fall leaves spinning down (much more enrichments than a bubble machine!), I was tickled to hear comments about Cinder's symmetry, balance and connection. Moving close to the fence where the seven wo...

Nestled snugly in familiar surroundings, I find my breath and reflect upon the last few weeks. Four unexpected days in the hospital, terrified by words like cancer, my future went hazy and filled with uncertainty. Honestly, I went to a dark place for a while sitting in Baptist Memphis ER's waiting area. I imagined my husband and loved ones left behind, mourned all the things I wanted to accomplish with my Mustangs, unfinished writing projects, and a vanishing future. Fast forward a few short weeks to today. Clean bill of health, home from an inspirational and challenging horse behavior clinic, Cappy's successful dental procedure accomplished this afternoon, and a future without limitation. Today, I cried tears of gratitude, overwhelmed as I pondered the journey that brought me to where I am now. During the final day of the Rachael Draaisma clinic, I experienced a huge 'Aha!' when I heard her guide me to do less. Calming signals (horses offer these for multitudes of reas...

    SOOO many big things recently! Farrier was coming at 2:30 (he has been at least 30-45 minutes early every single time in the three years we've been working together) so I brought all 3 of my equines into the arena to play/halter to be ready for him. I still get a little anxious about keeping Cappy under threshold once his truck pulls in the drive & my mini donkey can be, well, quite a donkey about being haltered unless he's in the proper frame of mind. So, of course, my lovelies were all eager to come in and play, and halters were all on in like maybe 5 minutes. Guess who is running an hour behind schedule? Yup. Time to pivot!      Taking advantage of my new arena, we played with the rings (3 hard rubber rings linked together, a dog toy purchased for my horses) and both my Mustangs are now holding them in their mouths for a two count!       With plenty of time still to kill, we moved to the Reverse Round pen (RRP). For those unfa...