Alston Grinnell

As Robert explained the exercise, I IMMEDIATELY knew what I would write. I started riding horses when I was 6 years old. I rode competitively through high school, and then stopped when I went to college (I regret that now, but at that time, it made sense). I didn't ride for almost ten years...college, first corporate job, city living in your 20's - I didn't miss it as I had enough going on with all these new experiences. Fast forward to 2020 and I started missing riding and just being AROUND horses. I had settled down, found my soon to be husband, had a steady job, etc etc....I'll fast forward through this part, but I got back into riding. Just once a week, then twice a week, then half leasing a horse (horses are like cars - you can lease or buy them, and you need to insure them!). I should also add that at this point, my dad was actively dying. I am an only child and extremely close to my parents. My Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2018, and by 2020 he was really going downhill. My (now) husband and I hurried to get married (during COVID) so that my dad could be there - he said it was the best day of his life. We got married on Oct 10, 2020. My Dad died Feb 18, 2021. Although my parents lived a wonderful life, my dad dying with me being so young (young to have a parent die, I mean) struck a chord with me....LIFE IS SO SHORT. Thank god my parents truly made the most of their life (overall)...but what if I didn't? What if I waited for the "right" time to live my best life, but then never got to that point? That stuck with me. We moved to Arizona in 2021 and after riding at a few different barns, I found my "home" and decided I was ready to get back into having my own horse. With that being said, horses are extremely expensive, not only to purchase but to keep. I knew it would be a stretch financially for me. And I remember sitting on the couch, thinking through having my own horse (at this point I had found "the one" - Ross) and how I would afford him. I had an account my parents set up for me when I was little... I decided i would take the money from there (it was "my" money but I had planned to just let it sit there and grow and eventually use it for a smart/adult purchase one day, like a down payment on a house). And this was when I realized this was the exact moment I had written about earlier - this was my chance!!! I called my mom and told her I was going to sell some of those stocks from that account to buy Ross, and she was displeased. "Alston, is that REALLY a smart way to spend $75,000? I don't think that's a good idea..." You get the point. And so.... I bought the fucking horse :) The phrase is essentially - take the chance. Live your life. Don't wait for the right time. If you want something, go after it. Life is too short to wait until the perfect moment. I've had Ross for almost 3 years now. He has changed my life. I ride 6 days a week. Even just sitting with him is like therapy. He actually almost died in September - he had emergency surgery, was in horse ICU for 2 weeks, and we almost put him down. But we did a hail mary plasma transfusion which has a 50% success rate, and he lived. Thanks for reading :)