[Below is another sweet share from a recent Awakin Circle, from our soulful friend, Astrid, who was visiting from Chile.]

When I was in fourth grade, I had an amazing lesson with a horse.

I really wanted to learn how to ride. There was a horse standing by the tree and it was the gardener's horse. And I was asking him to teach me how to ride. But he wouldn't teach me, so I hung out with a horse. I started lifting the horses' legs and arms, and pulling the hair the tail laying down underneath the horse, leaning on the horse until I felt really ready to sit on its back.

I went up to the gardener and said, "I'm ready for the lesson."

He said, "Get on the horse. Find a way to get on the horse. Then, take the reins. Loosen the reins to walk, pull to stop. Pull left to turn left; right to turn right."

That was my first riding lesson. :) Then I just needed to trust.

I climbed up a tree, and from the tree, I got on the horse.

The first thing that I did was hug the horse.

So I was laying on the back of this horse and I felt this amazing warmth. It was an amazing bonding with the horse. Then, we just took off.

The first day I went to the corner and came back. On the second day, I went two blocks away. A week later, I went to the forest. I had dogs with me, and so I went with my dogs and the horse. and

By that time, I had understood the importance of bonding before doing anything -- the importance of connecting before going anywhere.

To me, that horse was my biggest teacher in fourth grade.