I took a two week break from the blog for the holidays. Between family visits, holiday parties, work, and travel, this introvert was exhausted. Isn’t it strange that we take time off only to fill it with activity? Some folks thrive on social activities, but I tend to get more worn down as they pile up on my calendar. January and February are a relief, as I can focus more on the tasks I have picked for myself to be involved in.
One such task is finishing up the design for the paperback version of my book, Standing in a Field With Horses. I look forward to having that ready sometime in February. Keep an eye out for it! I don’t have a set release date, because this is the first time I’ve tried creating a paperback book. I want to make sure it looks as professional as possible for you all.
I’m also working on learning how to stay calm in confrontations with other humans. I know, I know, I’ve been working on that for years, but it’s a cyclical challenge that continues even today. My goal is centeredness in the midst of chaos, and I’m not there yet. Maybe I’ll never get there, but the closer I can be to that calm centeredness the better I’ll be able to weather difficult conversations, no matter the topic. The better I can come back to a calm state after being shaken, the more solid I can be for a horse that may also be experiencing distress. It’s a lot of self-examination and being honest about how worked up I am. A lot of recognizing when I need to pause and come back later or take a step back to breathe. The same skills that are required for working with a horse are useful for bringing anxiety down in ANY confrontational scenario. I look forward to exploring this more in the coming year.
As usual, if you have read my book and enjoyed it, please leave a review on Amazon! It really helps authors by pushing their book higher in the algorithm so more people can discover it. My book can be found on Amazon and Smashwords. Thank you for your support!
Maeve Birch Home 