A young rider in Kentucky told me something I still think about

I was trimming a horse at a small stable last fall, and a girl, maybe 12, was watching me work. After I finished, she came over and said, 'Your hands look like they know what to do without you telling them.' It was such a simple thing, but it stuck with me. She saw the years of practice in that one moment. I've been at this for 18 years, and no client has ever put it quite like that. It reminded me why I love teaching apprentices, too. Has a kid or a new client ever said something that made you see your own work differently?

3 comments

3 Comments

park.tara1mo ago

Ever had a kid call your work "magic"?

clairem381mo ago

Absolutely, and it's the best kind of compliment. There was this one time a little girl watched me fix a seam and just whispered "you're a fabric fairy". It totally reframed the whole day, you know? Makes you remember the simple wonder in making broken things whole again. That kind of pure reaction is better than any professional praise.

wright.finley26d ago

Best feeling in the world. Had a little boy convinced we had a shrinking machine for the big furniture. Makes the heavy lifting feel kinda special.