That Never-Ending Feeling

There is always a purpose to the journey; that is why our parents let us make mistakes and why we have feeling of accomplishment after finishing something even if it was not considered success. There is more to the adventure than the destination. Do you notice more of the landscape on a plane ride or a road trip? If the task were able to be completed so quickly, there was no challenge or learning curve. The person would have gained nothing. Also, once the task is completed, there is nothing to work for. In my personal experience, the journey is always more enjoyable than the reward at the end. For example, I had zone finals a few weeks ago to qualify me for nationals. I had to receive first or second in order to continue, and I got neither but I was okay with it. Four weeks prior to this, I had shattered my arm and gotten surgery. I was only able to ride two weeks before zones, and I needed to regain all my strength and flexibility back to succeed. Zones gave me reason to ride every day for two weeks straight, and there was definitely improvement by the time zones came around. I drew challenging horses the morning of zones, and my rounds were not perfect, but I still felt much accomplishment walking out of the ring. My trainers were impressed with how far I had come in a week. I realized that even though I had no ribbons to brag about, I had still done something incredible in a short period of time. I enjoyed seeing my improvement in such a short period of time due to my dedication. Going to nationals would have been an extra sprinkle on my sundae, but the most valuable lessons were learned on the way.