Galloping in Freedom

by Gabrielle

"Hey where are you rushing to? Don't you have time for me?" cried Dana, my best friend since college. I was running down the hallway to class and turned to face her: "Don't forget that I am a horse!" I smiled. I never realized that my life actually resembled that of a horse, constantly on the go, taking on difficult challenges that I barely have time for friends.

The characteristic that I share with a horse is freedom. I breeze through life with ease . I take advantage of the many opportunities in life. Nothing will stop me from reaching my goals. The world is an open field of adventure and exploration. All my life, I've traveled around the world and seen so many cultures, people and countries. I find it refreshing to be independent and love wandering on my own. Horses too love their own freedom. They prefer to wander freely than be constrained in a closed space. Horses compete and jump high over barriers with such ease. The Camargue in the South of France is a famous place where wild horses are left roaming in the open countryside. No one owns them. They are free creatures.

Another characteristic I have that resembles a horse is that I am hard working. My mother has always known me as a hard working girl who never gave up on dreams. I was so stubborn that I refused to do anything people told me to do. I had my own ideas, my own work schedule and worked at my own pace. I was the only Deaf girl in the entire school and I didn't' want to lag behind my peers so I worked twice as hard to make sure that I understood the information, that I passed the tests, that I could come up with original ideas. People always saw me as a hard working person. Just like horses, they are deliberate animals who love taking on challenges. Horses are not afraid of hard labor. They are steadfast and persistent laborers. Their sturdy legs allow them to love hard labor. They pull wagons,

Just like horses, I only keep a few friends. Even though I may be a friendly person, I tend to have a few close friends. This doesn't bother me. I am always busy exploring the world that I can only maintain a few friendships. When I find a few good people that I get along with and love to interact with on an intellectual level, I get stimulated. With those few, I maintain deep friendships that last for a very long time. I can't tolerate having too many friends and have superficial contacts. Horses also appear to be loners but they are not. They interact with their peers when they want to. They are very independent creatures and only enjoy the company of a few mates.

I never even realized how similar I am to a horse. My love for adventure and freedom describes my personality. I cannot live without adventure. My desire to breeze through life, to work hard and to keep solid friendships with a few will always be part of me. The only thing that I must watch out for is not to neglect friendships. I need to take some time off to be with them and my life will not be unbalanced.