You should remember Meg from her chronicles of Sinead and Tate at Burghley, and from her official introduction as a regular contributor here at EN. Meg’s been busy with her winter preparations, but gets a timely vacation during Christmas. Thanks for sharing, Meg!
(Picture: Myself as Santa (creepy Santa) in England when I lived there in 2007 working for British rider Helen Bell. The Brits didn’t understand my costume (it was Halloween. Apparently you are only supposed to dress up as scary things in England…although I think me as a white trash Santa was pretty scary.)
Wow – I haven’t yet succeeded on a weekly installment, but I promise post-Christmas time I won’t shut up – consider yourself lucky until then.
I am currently on vacation in southern Maryland at my parents. When Sinead and I were negotiating my position, I told her “I don’t work on Christmas”. She looked me square in the eye, “Well, I don’t work on New Years”. We both stared, blank faced, shook hands and the deal was made.
I must remind myself every day I spend at home – vacation is a time for rest and relaxation – recharging before the whirlwind of a year that awaits me. Which of course is why I have booked every evening at every social watering hole available to St. Mary’s County possible, along with trying to spend two hours in the gym so I don’t break my hip or collapse a lung when I have to ride on Monday after a week off spent engaging in at least 4 of the 7 deadly sins.
I still talk to baby Sarah and Sinead daily and they (at least outwardly) seem to be able to survive without me for the meantime. Vacation really is a great thing. I think it is so important to be able to take a time out, and go engage in “real life” for a bit of time. It usually only takes me a few days to revisit and examine my reasons for choosing this unique and sometimes difficult lifestyle. And I always come back to the barn rejuvenated and ready to start the new season.
I know not everyone is as lucky as I am to get to take a week off at Christmas. Even if it isn’t during the holidays – figure out ways to make sure everyone in your team gets a break once and a while. Sure, it may be a pain in the ass to have a man down – but if there is one thing I have learned in life and more specifically in this business – good help is hard to find. So when you have someone in your barn that you trust do what you can to keep them around. The happier they are the harder they will work, and the longer they will stay. So here is to barns full of happy grooms, managers, working students, stall muckers, aisle sweepers, brass polishers, and even those wily riders and of course all the critters under their care. Merry Christmas Eventing Nation (and Happy Hanukkah!) and most important -Happy New Year…2012 will bring the Olympic Games, a presidential election, and the end of the world. Epic.
Oh, and please send all my Christmas presents to my parents house. Ho Ho Ho.
