Aurora Magazine 2019

Valentine Flight

Deborah Mach

I have dreamt of flying dozens of times, especially during my childhood. In my dreams, I stood on the old wooden picnic table’s top and ran the short distance down it to take off in flight. Really it was more like gliding or floating. Like a back float in the water. Almost effortless, limitless endurance. In my frequent flights I hovered a few feet above the ground, flew for any dis - tance that I desired, before lightly putting my feet to the ground. When I awoke from those dreams I felt such a letdown. I was so disappointed to return to earth-bound reality. Years have passed, and my dreams of flights are quite infre - quent. I had lost the joy and freedom of flying. However, I have been blessed by the gift of flight again while on horseback. I have the exquisite pleasure of riding a sweet-tempered Arab mare who is aptly named Valentine. She has the smoothest, most silken canter that I have experienced. Weekly, I join a true horse-lover, my friend, Bev, to ride along the winding tree-lined trails in the forest preserve. My joy begins with the first scent of horses and the corral. The sweet, pungent smell of horse manure and hay has encoded itself in my brain and my senses as the most relaxing, stress relieving, endorphin-releasing aromatherapy. I fully recognize that the scent is not so pleasant to everyone I know. Nonetheless, I fre - quently offer my husband a whiff of my gloves after I have been “to the horses.” He humors me and accepts my horse-loving peculiarities. Back at the barn; Bev and I meet and walk the horses up to the tie-out posts where we groom them. Grooming, brushing Valen - tine’s smooth mahogany colored coat and coal-black mane and tail is the prelude I crave when I have been too long away from

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