Do You Know What You Don’t Know?

Last January, I wrote a blog about how Life is What Happens when you are busy making other plans. I wrote about a couple of things that happened to me over the course of a few days. Things that reminded me of how little control we have sometimes over how things unfold.

In this blog, I wrote about the incredible hassles my boyfriend and I have experienced trying to go boating this year. Due to flooding, the lake is incredibly high. The dock has been inaccessible all summer. There is no electricity on the dock to operate the boat lift. Therefore, we have had to take the boat in and out of the water each time we use it. That creates huge hassles in getting 5 dogs off and on the boat.

We bought a nifty ladder a few months ago that allows the dogs to jump into the boat when it is on the trailer. It is actually designed to allow them to get out of the water by themselves. However, it was slippery in the water, so last weekend I applied tread strips I had purchased. It looked great! Now to try it out…

By the time we finally got on the boat last weekend, we had dealt with innumerable other hassles. The generator we picked up on the way to the lake was not powerful enough to operate the boat lift. Additionally, the trailer exhibited a need for repair that prohibited us from loading the boat back onto it. Thankfully, we spied another larger generator on another boat. Alan swam back to shore and obtained permission to use it, and our main problem was solved.

We finally got out on the water. The boat has been having engine issues all summer. Alan thought he had it fixed but the issue persists. Frustrating, at best. Trying to ignore all of the challenges we had faced, we jumped into the water. Rather, I should say I jumped into the water, as Alan was dropping the anchor. The nifty dog ladder was on the back of the boat. The dogs, in their eagerness to watch me and perhaps join me, bumped the ladder. I was floating happily in a chair when I saw it go in the lake. Although I plunged in after it, I was too late. It sank like a rock. I watched $135 disappear. The depth was over 18 feet. Too deep to retrieve it in the murky water.

Have you ever had a horseback ride unfold in that fashion? I have. I have had entire weekends unfold like that! Alan expressed frustration to me last weekend as we were preparing to go for a ride. He wanted to interact with the horses more on his own, without me looking over his shoulder. He’s great with the horses, but there is much he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know what he doesn’t know…

He’s teaching me to drive the boat. He’s boated his entire life. I would not feel comfortable handling most aspects of boating without Alan’s input. I would not recognize the danger of a little girl reaching for the dock as the boat moored at the Park Marina. He does. He has rules that his passengers must follow in his boat. In the same way, I have things to teach him about horses.

Kadeen takes great care of Alan on the trail. In order to improve Alan’s ability to ride at more than a walk, we had a lesson last week. Alan practiced a slow jog, smoother hands and a more settled seat. Our instructor is my long-time trainer, Erin Paulsen. Under Erin’s tutelage, Kadeen and I became a team. I did the work, but Erin provided invaluable input and expertise. Alan has his own learning curve as he becomes a team with Kadeen. I am now on that journey with Finn. Where are you in your journey? (By the way, I have already ordered another ladder…)