It's time for me to start a new thread so I'd like to begin by thanking everyone who's been around, giving me their time and advice.
I want you to know that no matter what your advice is or how you give it, I always appreciate it. It may sometimes take me a while to appreciate it for some, but in the end, I know that it's all been instrumental in taking me safely where I am now, which is, in my view a better place than where I was in May.
I'd like to start this new thread with something that happened on our last family day, a few weeks ago, which went to prove that anything in life can teach us a lesson.
As some of you may know, a few weeks ago, just before W and I had our first R talk which ended up being quite revealing, yet helpful, we had been to an amusement park which ended up being quite disappointing.
One of the themes was the Wild West and the area was filled with cement statues of angry looking native Americans and dilapidated old west style buildings, one of which was of course a saloon.
As we walked by we could hear screams coming from the saloon so we stopped to have a look and there is was. A bona fide mechanical rodeo bull from which hordes of locals were being flung within 5 to 10 seconds.
I had always wanted to try this so in I went to the great pleasure of both my W and D8 (I suspect W was hoping to see me hurled across the room ). At the sight of a foreigner, the crowd opened up and the anticipation could be felt in the hushes all around (especially that I happened to be wearing my rimmed-hat).
I confidently got on the bull, wrapped the rope around my left arm and, to the delight of the spectators, I struck the pose (you know, the one with the hat in the right hand with the arm stretched behind?). And on went the bull.
What a rush. I was thrown left and right and back and forth and still I stayed on. The bull would abruptly stop and start again in a different rhythm and I stayed on. Many times I thought I'd fall or be thrown off but I held on and ignored the pain which was growing in my tired legs. The bull went on and with every second I managed to hang on, the crowd cheered louder and louder, bringing new curious passers-by in the saloon. With every failure to throw me off the bull's fury seemed to increase, and still, I hung on.
Eventually, the bull stopped, and to the applause of a wild crowd, I dismounted, waved my hat, bowed and left the ring with grace to be told I had managed to stay on for a full minute (it had felt a heck of a lot longer).
With a happy heart and trembling legs we walked out, shaking a few hands and receiving a few pats on the back on the way.
Out of the saloon, we sat down and both D8 and W eagerly asked how I had done it. They both thought it had been amazing. This is what I told them without thinking:
"The bull starts off at a certain rhythm so you have to match that rhythm and just swing your body back and forth to the rhythm of the bull. When it stops and changes rhythm, hold on tight and do whatever you can to stay on, then try to adjust to the new rhythm it sets. If you almost get thrown off, do whatever it takes to get yourself back on straight and back in the rhythm.
No matter what happens, no matter how much pain you feel, you don't allow yourself to even think about giving up. You just tell yourself that the ride is bound to end sometime. So you keep holding on and adjusting your rhythm until it does. Eventually, it did."
It's only days later, after we'd got back and I'd had the R talk with my W that the DB significance of these words became clear to my mind. Now I actually wonder if my W got it. If she did, she probably though I was trying to teach her a lesson.
So fellow DBers, hold on tight, keep up with the rhythm and enjoy the ride because, although it will feel much longer than it actually is, it won't last forever.
Freshman Class of 2012
M-49 W-42 1D-10 T 10 YEARS M 9 YEARS EA/MLC 07/2010 Separation 28/05/2012 PA confirmed 31/07/12 W Asked for D 31/07/12 D on and off the table since then
). At the sight of a foreigner, the crowd opened up and the anticipation could be felt in the hushes all around (especially that I happened to be wearing my rimmed-hat).
