slow and steady + Spring Spiritual Book Club
One of my favorite activities as a child was horseback riding. I remember coming home after my first ride on my friend Kelly’s sweet white horse, Timmy, bursting with excitement. I was around eight years old and the thrill of it all was coursing through me - the adrenaline of being at the whim of a powerful horse’s body high in the air was mesmorizing. Timmy was a steady horse to learn to ride on in the cow pasture along the winding stream through the flat valley of farm country. After that first ride, I was sold. I wanted my own horse!
My parents told me I could get my own horse at the age of twelve if I started taking riding lessons, saved my money and bought the horse myself. I suspect maybe they thought I would lose interest, but instead I dove headfirst into the full horse experience. I started riding at a stable up the road. I started “Chelsea’s Horse Fund,” asking relatives for money for my birthday and Christmas, and doing odd chores around the house like organizing shoes and vacuuming for additional allowance money. I started reading any horse book I could get my hands on – fiction, non-fiction, the whole lot. I wrote poetry about horses. I drew pictures of horses. I learned as much as I could about their upkeep and training. I rode my friends’ horses. I put up horse posters in my bedroom and played with horse figurines. I lived and breathed horses until, at the age of ten, I spotted an ad in the local newspaper – 2 horses for sale for $500, right down the road from our house. With $500 in the bank and the ad in my hand, I went to my parents. Though I wasn’t twelve yet, I had met all of their other stipulations – could I buy these horses and fulfill my dream of becoming a horse owner?
They said yes and I became the proud owner of Jasper and Hasty!
My approach to living out my dream of having my own horse was steady. It didn’t happen overnight. It involved taking one step at a time. I had a dream, and the foundation of what I needed to make it happen - a house with land, supportive parents, etc. But then it was just one action step, one possibility, one unfolding opportunity at a time.
I’m reminded of that now in these uncertain times: Dream. Imagine. Gather resources. Act. Steady on.
Horseback riding is a lot about balance. Lean too far forward, and the horse starts to speed up. Lean too far back or to either side, and a not-so-graceful dismount may be in order. You’re responding to your own body’s balance but also to the horse, who is responding to the terrain – and their own emotions. And your own emotions!
Balance, on top of a horse, and in life, isn’t a fixed state. It’s not like you achieve the perfect seat or the perfect balance and never have to adjust again. Balance is about constant adjustment as various forces interact with your body and your life.
As we come into spring energy, as chaos feels like it’s swirling all around, and as I contemplate what balance looks like amidst constant change, I have a few poems to share. One from me this morning, one from me at age eight, and one from one of my favorite poets and thinkers, Wendell Berry.
May your weekend be full of dreams, action, and steadiness.
His name is Nightmare
So black he’s spooky
Kept in a three-sided shed
He’s bold, he’s brave
He’s mine, he’s my dream
To own someday
To ride in the darkness
Never, never to be seen(By Chelsea Frisbee, age 8)
Steady - Chelsea Frisbee Johnson
Steady like a mountain, like this rock, like my feet
With deep roots
deep Fig Tree roots going 1300 feet deep
deep into the earth
Steady like your heand in mine, and mine in Yours
Steady like the horizon stretching out to infinity, no matter the tides
Steady like breath.
Steady.
It may be that when we no longer know what to do
we have come to our real work,
and that when we no longer know which way to go
we have come to our real journey.
The mind that is not baffled is not employed.
The impeded stream is the one that sings.
Spring Spiritual Book Club
I’m excited to announce I’m hosting an online Spring 2025 Spiritual Book Club! We’ll be reading and discussing Ordinary Mysticism: Your Life as Sacred Ground, by Mirabai Starr. If you’re looking for more connection, meaning, contemplation and depth right now, this might be a great fit for you!
How does it work? We’ll meet once a week for four weeks for a 60-minute facilitated Zoom discussion. We'll split the book into four equal parts and discuss a part together each week! Dates/times are:
Thursday, March 13 from 7:30-8:30 PM ET
Thursday, March 20 from 7:30-8:30 PM ET
Thursday, March 27 from 7:30-8:30 PM ET
Thursday, April 3 from 7:30-8:30 PM ET
How much does it cost? It's $80 for the 4-week session of Spiritual Book Club
Why should I join? This is the first book club I've hosted since my son was born over a year ago, and I'm so excited to dive into this book! We’ll be using Mirabai Starr's Ordinary Mysticism: Your Life as Sacred Ground as a guide for discussion - not just about the book, but about our lives, mysticism, spirituality and what it means to be sacred.
Who is this for? This is for anyone who is interested in joining! Previously, these book clubs were spaces intentionally created for women. I’ve decided to expand the circle- all genders and ways people identify are welcome!
Space is limited to 10 people so we can have an intimate group feel. Learn more here and sign up by March 10!
