I’m no fortunate one or anything like that, but my parents sent me to horseback riding summer camp when I was younger. Their thinking was that I could either waste a few months with the pyromaniac kid down the street or learn to ride at a working farm. After all, the prospect of a broken leg was way more attractive than juvie and a mark on my permanent record.
Horseracing in general – the Kentucky Derby in particular – has seen a fair share of controversy over the years. While I understand that abuses occur, I would be lying if I said that I never feel a jolt of excitement when the horses take off. Unexpectedly missing the Derby, I’ve been thinking about horses and what we can learn from working with them:
1. It’s all right to let go sometimes. Before I even sat on a horse, it was heavily emphasized that a horse is not a car. Horses have bad days, horses can be moody and, above all, horses are living creatures who must be treated with respect. While it’s the rider’s job to exert a certain amount of control, there is nothing wrong with allowing the horse to have her/his way, too. After a trek through the woods, if a horse wants to stop and have a drink or chew on the undergrowth, the rider should allow it. Just like non-riding life, not everything revolves around our own desires; those around us have needs, too. Sometimes, let the horse lead and remember that every relationship is give and take.
2. Don’t get mad at the world for being the world. I rode a horse named English Dolly for years. She could be violent and she could be vicious, but once we figured each other out, we got along great. I was warned that, while saddling, she tended to hold her breath so that her saddle fit looser. I didn’t double-check my work or Dolly and fell right off when the saddle did. Tending to my injuries (at Duke’s Ranch, the lessons were painful, but they stuck), my counselor asked what I had done wrong. He was silent as I blamed Dolly, the saddle and the terrain. I was rewarded with a smile when I finally recognized that the accident was caused by own shoddy workmanship. We don’t live in a nicey, nicey Disney world and when we do something silly, reality is there to slap our noses. If we’re taken advantage of by an internet scam or a too good to be true investment opportunity, we must take responsibility for our own missteps. It’s up to us to protect ourselves because, while “they” aren’t necessarily out to get us, it doesn’t pay to make it too easy for them.
3. If you’re offered the chance to ride without a saddle, take it. After I fell off Dolly, my counselor decided that I had almost ridden bareback and asked if I’d like to do it the right way. I couldn’t have busted my lip any worse, so I agreed. Galloping with a temperamental, unfettered horse was better than mixing Pop Rocks and Coke. Just because something is scary and out of our comfort zone, doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile. Of course, I fell off that time, too, but by the end, I was a pro. Learning how to fall is just as important as learning how to stay on.
Education doesn’t end when the school door shuts. The neat thing about living is that, no matter what, everything we experience teaches us something. We just have to pay attention.
Bourke Accounting bookkeepers and tax preparers are always willing to learn from their experiences and they’re always paying attention. Whether it’s a new tax law or an esoteric bookkeeping procedure, you can count on a Bourke Accounting expert to be a never-ending font of knowledge.
Come see us any time. Our number is 502-451-8773 and don’t forget to visit our website at www.bourkeaccounting.com. See you soon!
Written by Sue H.
Great events turn on small hinges – Stephen King
Let’s say you have a meeting with your Bourke Accounting professional. Perhaps after your Bourke Accounting expert helps you with all of your financial needs, you become inspired to write The Great American novel. Or maybe after sitting down with one of our knowledgeable bookkeepers, you are motivated to paint something to rival Rembrandt. It could have been a chance sentence uttered by Bill or simply the way the light fell across the table in front of Tim.
You can never tell when, or why, brilliance will strike
I was driving home from work the other day, listening to Little Steven’s Underground Garage on the radio. Kid Leo, one of the deejays, was talking about Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers song, “Don’t Come Around Here No More.” I have always loved this song. I don’t know if it’s Dave Stewart’s sitar or Tom Petty’s sardonically nasal voice, but I find it to be a perfect rock n’ roll song (and let’s not forget that creepy and beautiful Alice in Wonderland-themed video). Just when I thought that the song couldn’t get cooler, Kid Leo informed his eager audience of the backstory behind it:
So, Dave Stewart played a show with his band Eurythmics (this was right after he and Annie Lennox started getting really popular) and met Stevie Nicks afterwards. “Stewart did not know who she was at the time” (Wikipedia.org), but when Stevie Nicks invited him to her house for a party, he went. Keep in mind that Nicks had just broken up with The Eagles’ guitar player, Joe Walsh.
After the party, Stewart and Nicks had a slumber party.
Stewart woke up in the middle of the night and Nicks was “trying on Victorian clothing and [he] described the entire scenario as very much reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland” (Wikipedia.org). A little while later, Joe Walsh showed up and Nicks wasn’t having it. Stewart said the song’s title, ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’ were the exact words Nicks told Walsh as she kicked him out of her house” (Songmeaningsandfacts.com).
Stewart told Tom Petty about the whole incident and they collaborated on the song. Originally, this was meant to be recorded by Stevie Nicks, but she felt that “she couldn’t do the song justice” (Wikipedia.org) after Petty sang it for her.
This is all more than simply “being at the right place at the right time.” This is fate. This is the superfecta of meaningful art: heartbreak, resentment, talent and, uh, slumber parties. If Stewart had decided to go back to his hotel after the show, the world would have missed out on this intense song.
When Tom Petty passed away on October 2, 2017, we lost more than a rock star; we lost a true artist and poet. We’re lucky we had him for as long as we did.
We all know that Bourke Accounting will offer you tax preparation, bookkeeping and solid financial advice (but probably not slumber parties). And maybe, just maybe, your Bourke Accounting specialist will be the inspiration behind your New York Times bestseller. Remember us when you win your first Grammy and come see us any time. Our number is 502-451-8773 and don’t forget to visit our website at www.bourkeaccounting.com. See you soon!
Written by Sue H.
Being healthy is not just about eating right and getting enough exercise.
Sometimes, there are weird little invisible things that we need to think about, too.
Although we’ve been told that we swallow spiders while sleeping, that’s actually not quite true. It seems that we worry about very exotic things, when the important things are a bit more ordinary.
For example, did you ever stop to think about your coffee cup in the office break room?
Fun Fact: there is a very, very likely chance that you are ingesting bacteria, viruses and – sorry – fecal matter every time you take that little coffee break at work.
Dr. Charles Gerba (University of Arizona professor) did a study back in 1997 regarding office break room rags and sponges. According to Fortune.com, he found that “coliform bacteria were present on 20 percent of the coffee cups before and 100 percent of the coffee cups after wiping with a dishcloth or sponge.” Not only that, but, stated in the New York Post, “research has shown [that] 20 percent of those cups actually carry fecal matter.”
Oh, ew.
So, there you are, dutifully washing out your mug with soap, hot water…and that sponge that’s been sitting in the office break room sink for the last couple of weeks.
Julie spilled coffee on the counter and used the sponge to wipe it up. Steve used the sponge to clean up the microwave after his burrito had a meltdown. Mark used the sponge to get mud off his coat after his dog jumped on him during lunch.
That’s the sponge that you are happily sloshing around your favorite Kentucky Derby mug.
This isn’t your house. You have no idea what happens to this sponge when you leave the break room. You have no concept of the horrors that this poor break room sponge has seen.
But all is not lost! Momsagainstcooties.com posted a study from the University of Florida that proved that microwaving for 2 minutes will kill “99 percent of pathogens” in your sponge (that includes the fecal matter). Of course, replacing your sponge often will help, too. Finally, why don’t you just bring your mug home and wash it with a trusted sponge and dry it with a trusted dish towel?
It goes without saying that the Bourke Accounting offices are clean. Moreover, Bill and Tim insist on switching out the break room sponge once a week (they’ve seen the studies). In uncertain financial times, it’s nice to know that your Bourke Accounting representative will offer Earl Grey minus the E.Coli. Why don’t you come to our pristine office, sip an uncontaminated coffee or tea and see all the things that Bourke Accounting can do for you, your family and your economic future?
Come see us any time. Our number is 502-451-8773 and don’t forget to visit our website at www.bourkeaccounting.com. See you soon!
Written by Sue H.