My new horse was brown... all the way through. His head was brown, his mane was brown, his tail was brown. He was short and easy to get onto even for my size. He was no grand stallion, but looking back he had an incredible natural balance and always felt feather light in my hands. Even his plainness didn't bother me at all, because nothing could stop us. When we got together we could do ANYTHING! I was only seven years old at the time and we were the talk of the town. All my friends were jealous of me and what I could do with my horse. They could only watch with longing and hope for a day their parents might buy them a horse like mine.

Then a mere week after I got my own horse, my friend Adam, also seven years old, got his first horse. His horse was white all over, but he did have a black nose and black tail. He wasn't nearly as fast as my horse but quite a nice looking horse compared. For nearly the whole summer my friend Adam and I went everywhere together on our horses. We climbed steep hills, jumped small streams, and galloped at full speed across the open fields. Even though our homes were nearly one mile apart, our strong horses could carry us all the way there and back again with ease. We were two little boys with two little toys and nothing could stop us.

I'll never forget that horse, or that long, amazing summer. My eyes were opened and my imagination set free. His name was Willy and he never once spooked or became hard to catch. The obvious only problem came the next year when my mother convinced me I was too big to ride him and I should give him to my younger brother instead. By that time, Willy was getting a little older and was showing some signs of wear and tear. I'd used him up hard the year before even though he started out brand new. My dear mother did her best to fix him up nice again and my little brother didn't seem to mind the disrepair. In his mind, Willy was tried and true. Indeed he was tried and true... most broomstick horses are.

Do you remember your first horse? Or how about your first imaginary horse? My first horse was a broomstick named Willy with a stuffed brown cloth bag for a head and buckskin colored yarn for a mane.

I'm asking you to remember the positive imaginations of your early stages with horses. And I'm also asking you to believe that I still see myself galloping through fields, climbing mountains and jumping small streams on my imaginary horses and my real horses. I keep that sense of wonder. The reality is, I don't get to do that every day, or even every month. I don't actually ride every day like many people might believe, in spite of the fact that I am deeply entrenched in the horse industry. But I don't allow myself to forget the wonder of it all. Time constraints, personal pressures, family matters, health issues, finances, and everything else will try to rob you of what's in your heart. Don't let it!

I'm asking you not to forget your sense of wonder. Just because something in real life is harder than it seemed in our imaginations, doesn't give us the right to give up the wonder and give up the dream altogether. I want you to bring back the childlike wonder you once had. Keep it alive in you. Don't let circumstances kill your beautiful spirit-filled heart.

Meditation is a big stupid fad. At least that's what I've been told. But what if I said you should meditate on your positive imaginative child inside? Would you think I'm crazy or ultra spiritual or part of a modern meditating movement to gain inner peace? I hope not! I want you to allow your inner child out, that's all. Not the obnoxious two-year-old who barely can control his or her bladder, let alone emotions. I'm talking about the seven to twelve year old, who begins to see that life might just hold the greatest wonders available. Allow that child space in your quiet mind for a moment each day. Allow it to sing out! Allow it to drive you forward! Allow it to wake you up and snap you out of this funk.

Life isn't hard! Life is intricate and detailed but not hard. You do have to be aware, and observant, and creative, but it isn't all that bad. And just in case you disagree, I compel you to check your inner dialogue and ask yourself this question? "Have you allowed the voice of circumstance to destroy your inner child and your sense of wonder?" If the answer is yes, then take one more close look at the question... "Have you allowed it?" 'Allowed' being the keyword.

Remember, you are in control of what you allow into your mind and what you allow to stay in your mind. I don't allow the shit to linger. I find a way to remember the way I used to think... free, open, and playful. Even if it's just a few minutes each morning or evening. It costs me nothing and gains me everything. When I see those positive inner imaginations and the beautiful child I once was, I then begin to engage in that original personality and take on the characteristics of a playful, energetic person, and in doing so... I keep my sense of wonder alive! Thanks Don