Kristine E. Brickey

Today began like most others around here. I woke up way too early, spent a couple hours journaling on the couch with Frankie nestled beneath a blanket beside me, and went out to feed the equines before heading to a 9 a.m. CrossFit workout.  Chad walked outside around 9:45 to open what I call the breakfast gate, the one that separates the boys from the girl so they each eat their own portions. Cinder was hanging out in the center area. Cappy roamed over to stand by our visiting bearded collie, Annie. Little Red was standing knee deep in the hay on the opposite side of the fence from Cappy and his canine friend. Less than thirty minutes later, I pulled into the driveway after an invigorating workout and noticed Little Red lying on his side in the pasture. He's been sleeping a lot more the last couple months, so I pushed down the initial panic as I parked in the garage. Tossing my stuff on the kitchen counter, I kicked off my gym shoes and slipped into paddock boots before hustling ou...

First, if you haven't read the previous post, "Reflections: Imposter Syndrome be Gone," here's the link so you can understand the crazy power of what happened next.  Reflections Part 1   After sharing that post with a friend, she asked if I'd researched the katydid as a totem. Obviously, I had not. I mean...who does that? Well, she did, and I was absolutely gobsmacked at what the Universe had clearly sent to me when I spotted the well camouflaged katydid sitting upon the green gate.  The article read, in part, that the katydid as animal totem symbolizes transformation, adaptation, and finding one's voice; encouraging the shedding of old beliefs and embracing new opportunities for growth and success, and patience in achieving goals. Also, when the katydid totem appears, it signifies: being in a stage of significant personal change, the need to adapt to new challenges, overcome past failures and move toward success, and encourage the expression of your unique id...

This morning after playing with my horses, I discovered a beautiful, leafy green katydid on the small gate leading out of my west pasture. Not a praying mantis. Not a leaf. Not a grasshopper. An insect that secures its safe existence on faking others out as to its true identity. Wow, Universe.  See, after playing with my horses for the hour before, I began to succumb to Imposter Syndrome. I questioned my skills, my patience, my need to always do more, and for at least a nanosecond, wondered why I felt I was any good at anything.  Ninety-nine percent of the time, I begin training sessions with Cinder and then move to Cappy. However, this morning, since Cappy was already in the west, I started with him. Instead of playing in the arena, I moved our stuff into the pasture. Instead of giving my equines some grazing time together after being separated for breakfast, I went right into a session with Cappy. As we worked on some hoof husbandry skills, Cappy felt more tense than usual, ...

For the last couple of weeks, it's felt like my lovely Mustangs have been all over the place during our training sessions, and I was stumped, frustrated with myself for not being able to figure out the problem. I mean, it isn't as if there was anything extra going on around here: Two dear, beautiful friends died unexpectedly. Another friend had an accident and we (allegedly) may have kidnapped her and her lovely, large bearded collie until the surgeon gives the okay that independent living is two thumbs up. The first Michigan Shawna Karrasch Equine Clinic is happening here in a few days. My website builder went into some bizarre 'oops, something went wrong' lockout, meaning I could not access ANY of my resources to update or send newsletters. AT&T blocked me from even going to my website...malware, are you sure this site is safe? Uh, yeah it's my website! AND DID I MENTION MY HORSES SEEMED TO HAVE FORGOTTEN EVERYTHING WE HAD EVER DONE DURING OUR SESSIONS? Two we...