Cadence is my word of the year, inspired by a song I haven’t listened to in a decade. Harder Better Faster Stronger, by Daft Punk. It has a super long intro, and we did a dance routine at a summer camp I was a counselor at one summer. I was always too quick to the cue, too worried about being left behind or slow so I’d jump the gun. I can do a lot of things in short bursts, and I can start things with the best plans and intentions and efforts. Maintenance and rhythm of those things is the struggle.

We’re in the midst of a huge surge of Covid cases at a work, which was the anticipated fire hose to the face after the holidays. I’ve been struggling, as so many have, with keeping my focus on my job. I’ve been managing Covid cases and the quarantine team for a year now, and while I felt successful in building this team and still do, it’s just more crisis management day after day, and as another writer mentioned, it’s hard to sustain crisis management year after year and that really struck home for me.

I have plenty of goals and hopes and intentions for this year, mainly around seizing the day with Tarma, whatever that looks like. I have to make sure we’re both prepared, and last year was mostly focusing on the relationship. As I remarked to a long time friend today on our ride together, I feel I’ve finally figured out who Tarma is, and what she’s capable of handling on any given day. I had a pretty good guess that I could go out today, snag her from the field, load her up, haul out, tack her up and mount with a few check ins here and there but not taking hours about it. And she did wonderful, and we had a beautiful ride in the spooky fog in a brand new place to her, with a horse she’d never met.

In order to do all the trips and rides I’d like to, we need to get fitter, to learn to use our bodies together instead of against each other, or holding each other up. I need to find a cadence of work that fits both of us, something I can keep up through work stress and Kade’s soccer season and whatever work throws at Tom. I’m thinking riding three times a week, daily dog walks of at least 3-4 miles, toss some yoga and weight lifting and maybe swimming twice a week will be the sweet spot. Benny being old enough to learn how to walk versus stroll has been hugely helpful, even on rainy days he needs to get out and he tells me so, by plopping himself in the office and staring holes in the back of my head. Good dog!