PrintLet’s be clear about something: Yes, I live on a farm. And yes, I am, at least mostly, a farmer. But I’m no backwoods hick. I speak three languages. I’ve been to almost every continent (missing Asia and Antarctica). I’ve rock climbed, bungee jumped and sea kayaked. I’m a wordly, well-travelled girl.
And let’s be clear about something else: I love Love LOVE what I do for a living, and I have no regrets. Part of doing what I do means living away from major city centers, away from the hustle and bustle of urban areas that make it easy for people my age to meet each other and have a life away from work. And while I wake up every morning thrilled to do what I do every day, and I believe that sacrifices to my life outside of horses is worth it, I’d be lying if I said I was excited about living 20 minutes from the nearest grocery store, much less a museum or hot night spot.
So having a life outside the barn has been a work in progress. I have been graced with some incredible friends, all of them horse people, but therefore all understanding of this predicament. Washington D.C. is a little more than an hour from my place when there’s no traffic (which, for the record, is never), so it’s not really all that hard to get into town and see the sights. Of course, when your day off is Monday, it’s not all that fun to stay out late on a Saturday night only to have to get on your first horse at 6:30 Sunday morning, but it’s worth it, every now and then.
So my buds and I try to make life in the woods fun. The nearest town of significance has a bowling alley, and we’ve found an inverse relationship of Bowling Suckitude to Wine Coolers Consumed, always to great amusement. The nearest movie theater is about 45 minutes from the farm, but it’s in a part of town surrounded by restaurants and other things to do, so it’s worth an outing. I hate bars, but there are a few nearby where there’s usually fun to be had.
In the summertime, The Plains, Va., hosts an amazing event called Twilight Polo every weekend—two back-to-back arena polo matches (read: WICKED fast polo!), played under lights after the heat of the day passes. If I can’t mooch a booth from one of my neighbors, we just bring a blanket and a picnic and watch the cute polo pros get sweaty… I mean, the athleticism of the horses. Yeah, the athleticism.
(On that note, thank goodness for online dating. and that’s all I have to say about that.)
On my own, I’ve been doing pretty well in my running endeavors, and after today’s 2.8-mile jaunt (yeah!), I’m putting a 5k on the calendar. The running store where I got the hookup on a great pair of shoes (clever name: The Running Store) keeps a calendar and even has a little running club thing I keep thinking about joining as a way to meet some folks outside the horse scene. I fear I’m not yet fit enough, and CERTAINLY not fast enough, to hold my head high in the company of more serious runners, but a 5k for a great cause would be a nice place to start.
