For anyone involved in “horsekeeping”, you know that poop scooping (also called shoveling sh** ) is a never ending opportunity!

While scooping this morning I was pondering my latest read; The Adversity Advantage by Paul Stoltz & Erik Weihenmayer. Of particular interest was the Adversity Quotient (AQ). People with a high AQ use adversity to accelerate their development. In the process of adversity, they unleash tremendous energy and innovation and actually gain momentum (pg xxi). HMMM this sure sounds a lot like the Productive Struggle students experience in Horse Powered Reading activities!

Now back to my poop scooping metaphor for today –

Instead of feeling sorry for my self out there in the heat scooping poop, I thought about how Adversity (any challenge in your life) can actually serve as fuel if we allow it to be converted into positive energy, growth, strength, and peace! (Sounds like Romans 5:3 “…we also rejoice in our suffering…”)

If the horse poop were simply scattered into the dry sandy arena, flies are attracted, neighbors don’t appreciate the stench, it looks ugly, and people step in it! However, when the same poop is gathered and composted, it slowly turns into rich fertilizer sought after by gardeners! That nasty stuff becomes the fuel to nurture and grow beautiful flowers and delcious vegetables. In my case, it is also an opportunity for exercise, sunshine and peaceful meditation.

Who could imagine so much power in poop?!?! Leave it to God to turn gross, smelly, waste into something so amazing?!!?!

Be Blessed,

Michele

START where you are!!

Nothing can begin until you do!

Every journey begins with just one step. When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, he said to the man, “stretch out your hand!” What would have happened if that man had said “What are you talking about – can’t you see it’s crippled? I can’t – I won’t do it!“.

Only YOU can make take that first step, plan your first activity! No one else can do it for you.

Use what YOU HAVE!

I only remember one cheer from my single semester as a cheerleader in high school,

“What do we got?

We got a lot!

We’ve got a team that’s Red Hot!”

Not great grammar, but so true! Most of us are incredibly blessed! So, how are you going to USE what you have? It is not necessary to go out and buy lots of new tools and toys to do HPR. Just look around and see what you already have. I started out using boards, fence posts and empty cat litter buckets (actually, I still use cat litter buckets LOL).

DO what you can!

In the iconic words of the famous commercial: “JUST DO IT“.

I’m quite sure you know much more than you give yourself credit for, and way more about Horse Powered Reading than your client. They don’t know (or need) all the things you still need/want to learn. It would only confuse them. Take whatever you DO know, and DO something with it! Make a difference in someone’s life!

Remember:

YOU Have the POWER to give HOPE and HELP to struggling students!

START where you are - USE what you have – DO what you can!!