I’ve always loved horses. When I was 15 I decided to buy one. I didn’t tell my parents, because I knew they’d say no. But since I’d saved $700. by selling kool-aid throughout my childhood summers, I figured I had the right to spend it on whatever I wanted, and thought that if my dishwashing job at the local marina cafe would pay for the hay, they couldn’t say no.  

So one day I showed up at the door with a quarter horse named Heidi.  

I told my dad I would pay to maintain her, and he seemed impressed enough to spend the day building a fenced paddock in our back yard.   

So, I got my horse, and she taught me how to ride. I’d get up at 5am so that I could get out into the fields with her, while the dew was still crisp, and trot into its steamy mirage as the morning sun had its way. Those magical memories seem like a dream by now.   

Looking back, it was a risky thing to just go out and buy a horse without my parents’ consent. But maybe it was one of the things I did as a kid that gave me confidence; it was a dream I made come true. As adults maybe we could draw on that naive childood conviction more often, to reach for ideas, creations or things we’ve lost our ’spark’ for in the midst of responsibility.   

Have you ever taken a naive risk in order find a piece of your vision?