Am I a Barrel Racer?

Last night I got to go to the rodeo with friends who actually could explain to me the challenges and rules of each event. This morning while contemplating what to put in the blog it seemed as if this question formed itself, "Am I a barrel racer?" Those who know me well will laugh, aware of my irrational fear of horses.

 

Now Wikipedia defines the rules as: The timer begins when horse and rider cross the start line, and ends when the barrel pattern has been successfully executed and horse and rider cross the finish line. The rider's time depends on several factors, most commonly the horse's physical and mental condition, the rider's horsemanship abilities, and the type of ground or footing (the quality, depth, content, etc. of the sand or dirt in the arena).

 

As I watched these young ladies gallop their horses as fast as possible out of the arena I ignorantly wondered what the hurry was. I was amazed how they could bring their animal to a halt before crashing into the pens and walls just off the field of play. It was fun to watch, but now I see they were being timed back through the gate they came out of.

 

Now how would this apply to my life? We all have barrel courses set up through any given day. The chores and duties of life, the way we conduct ourselves through those activities.

 

In places of Corrales the speed limit is 15 miles per hour and 20 miles per hour and these are not even school zones! It makes me aware of how much hurry colors my life in Batavia. Betty and I were talking about how low can one set the cruise control on the newer cars? I remembered that a few years ago I read about "hurry sickness," defined as a malaise in which a person feels chronically short of time, and so tends to perform every task faster and to get flustered when encountering any kind of delay."

 

There is also the tendency of Type A personalities to rush through things. "The person with type A personality traits often feels an urgent need to complete a task. This type of time sensitive urgency is relative to impatience. In turn, those around the type A personality traits may confuse the time-urgent sensitivity as bad manners or boorish behavior. The concern for the type A personality is that they are [may be] unable to control the time sensitive urges. There is a need to move quicker and achieve maximum amounts of activity in a minimum amount of time. This can be very frustrating to the type A personality. The extreme type A may feel controlled by time and urgency and are often unable to overcome the need to continue at a faster pace."

While learning these things I was challenged to go the speed limit or 5 mph under the limit on the freeways. It was hard for me. I do often unconsciously approach life with a barrel racing mindset. Do the job, round the barrels in the correct order, race back to the finish line and crash through the gateway on a horse who is galloping as fast as it can. Then "off to the next event!" Wow! The problem illustrated once again with a fresh perspective.

Cultivating holy silence and centering in Christ have been good ways for me to modify my behavior. Coming to New Mexico for extended rest and time for contemplation has untold benefits. Tomorrow I will try to summarize what L. Brent Bill wrote in Holy Silence about learning to sense my own need for silence.

 

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