Witness Post: Hang Loose in the Saddle
It was 5:30pm in August and I was so uptight I wanted to explode? Questions jumped to mind: Have you ever been able to relax your mind, and your shoulders, and breathing so that you quickly calm down? Do you randomly drive by and spot something on the sidewalk that distracts you from your stress and makes you laugh?
I can answer yes to all of the questions above and start with the last question first. The other day, I was stressed about failing an exam and worried that it would impact the next six months if not years ahead. Suddenly I spotted a toy horse, which was attached via wire to a lacrosse ball sized ring. The ring looked like something you would attach your horse to, if you were visiting the neighbors nearby.
When I got home my wife reminded me of her latest favorite expression: “Hang loose in the saddle.”
I decided that in many ways there was no use worrying about what might happen, because most of it never happens at all. Besides, if the cowboys were successful chewing on a stalk of straw and hanging loose with wild west critters all around them, why shouldn’t I?
Good question.
Plus, Woody, from Toy Story was helping spread the word of the Horse Project in Portland, then it was time for me to lighten up.
Henry E. Hooper 