So, 2017. What a year. Someone I know took to describing herself in “Trump-adjusted terms” all year, which is to say: overlaying everything was a thick layer of misery, anxiety, and anger. I caught up with a friend recently who confessed to me that she had spent last January having severe anxiety attacks, when she’d never experienced them before. My year was much the same.

Even without the threat of imminent nuclear devastation and/or spiraling into a dictatorship run by some of the worst human beings on earth (yes, I’m including the fuckfaces who voted for this in that group), 2017 was not my best year.

Tristan got really sick, and right on the heels of that, my dog Arya got really sick. I struggled with finances all year; I’d been on a decent but not great track before that, and then laying out thousands of dollars for that dealt me a blow from which I have just barely recovered. Last week, my car went off a road in a snow squall and spent a week at a body shop, maxing out its deductible. I struggled with an escalating work load at the day job, and felt really guilty for not getting enough done on the house.

That said, some good things happened. I loved writing the Black Stallion review series, and you all seemed to really enjoy reading them! I finally got Tristan out to a dressage show, though never recapped it. When I rode, it went pretty darn well. I got to meet a lot of horse bloggers – in Austin, in Nashville, and Boston. I solidified other friendships I’ve made through horses and blogging, emailing and texting for ideas and advice and fun. I switched the blog over to its own domain, a goal several years in contemplation and several months in execution.

One of the best things was one of the most surprising and rewarding, which was that after many months of planning and thinking (shout out to everyone who tests things for me!) I opened the Etsy shop, which did way better than I expected. After taking a short break for the holidays, I’m back at work today making things to stock it, and I have new products coming soon.

So, with that rambling recap over, I’ll do one last quick goals update.

Horse Goals – original post here

1. Put hands on my horse 5x a week – Some weeks yes. More often than not, no. 😦
2. Be less perfunctory – This was a shitty goal, but
3. Aim toward dressage schooling shows
4. Take more lessons – I started strong and then failed on the back end. Thanks, vet bills.
5. Horse-specific income stream / funding emergency fund –
The Etsy shop will be restocked today. Though it may not look like I made much progress on Tristan’s savings, there was an ebb and flow and I was able to pay for new shoes, two vet visits, and some new equipment and still added to savings in the last few months, so that number actually represents success.
Emergency fund: $4,350/$15,000
Tristan’s savings: $710/$1,500
6. Do more thoughtful work – Terrible goal, past me.
7. Get more media – Started off ok, floundered in the middle of the year, picked up at the end.