Are you breathing?

"Are you breathing?" A question that is asked several times during my riding lessons. Our trainer says it and before I can think of something witty to respond with, I realize that somewhere between the canter and the cross-bars I actually did, stop breathing. "Ya can't ride if you don't breathe." Thank you, Jane-Anne.

What is really funny is how often I find the Jane-Anne in my head asking me that question. I have adapted to it in the arena, but it fits so well in with every day life I ask it to myself all the time. A car runs the red light that would have been my green but someone loves me and I happened to be paying attention; "Are you breathing?" Stub my toe and instead of a long slough of cuss words, "Are you breathing?" Any stressful part of the day now and Im questioning my oxygen supply.

Tonight has been no exception. I got the mask I ordered in the mail, so I started working on making the mask I need for the designs for the Spirit of Survival this weekend. I am making 13 picture frames and 18 wine glasses all with pink-ribbon themes. Seven pages ((11x17")) of mask in total. This is the first time I am working with this many products at once and the first time I have made this much mask at once. Up until now my mask-making skills have been sub-par and I've managed to blow through 2 out of 3 images I have tried to wash out. Unfortunately for me, this evening I didn't have the extra to fix the problem if I had blown through it. As I stood over the sink with the first piece on the wash out board, guess what? I held my breath. After a few minutes, and probably a few color changes, I realized I was doing and thought, "Are you breathing?" Well no, no I'm not. "You can't ride if you don't breathe." Whether it was oxygen deprevation or not, a little light went off, and I realized what she's been saying. You can't know until you try. You can't ride if you don't breathe. Tonight, I decided breathing was important, For more than just obvious reasons. And I am proud to say I washed out all seven pages of mask without dicking up one single image.

"Are you breathing? Ya can't ride if you don't breathe." Thank you Jane-Anne, Lesson Learned.