I was recently talking with a young woman who just graduated from college and is looking for a job. She’s bright and talented, and wants to do something meaningful with her education and abilities. But she could also use a few bucks for gas.

This month has been hard for me, since I’ve battled two weeks of the flu and am preparing to launch new projects. So I asked her if she would consider being an elf for a few hours. She was gung-ho.

Normally when you think of elves, images of mischievous little people come to mind. But for my purposes, an elf is a person who does little tasks energetically. So we traded — my dollars for her youthful energy doing tasks like vacuuming the steps and cleaning the patio chairs of leaves that have tried to embed themselves during wind storms.

I’m not trying to offload “dirty” jobs. I’m delegating small jobs that could tend to become bigger if I did them. If I were to clean the patio chairs, I’d become distracted by the little rips, the mildew that will need to get cleaned come spring, and so forth  — or else I’d just let the chairs go, figuring they were low on my priority list. My elf merely swept the chairs and was done.

She can drop a book by the library in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, whereas I’m more likely to gang lots of errands together and make too big a job of it. When my elf tidies up the bookcase with DVDs and CDs, it just happens. Whereas I sort them into piles, remembering that I want to lend this one to Sue, and that DVD to Mary. Having an elf saves more time than you’d imagine.

What tasks take you longer than necessary? Maybe cleaning water buckets, which then distracts you to doing other stall maintenance? Maybe it’s sweeping the feed room, because then you get involved in consolidating supplements and other chores, making one simple task complex. Maybe it’s wiping down your tack, which is a different job than a full cleaning.

Unlike myself, my elf has no emotional connection to any of the tasks. Her identity and job description isn’t in question. She just sets to work cheerily and gets it done.

So what if you don’t have the money to hire an elf? Try being your own elf. Put on your elf ears and do the immediate part of the task at hand. Disengage from the extras and pretend you were hired to merely do “x.” Knock it out and move on. You’d be amazed at what an hour of elf time can do.

If you discover that you are a good elf, you might even find that someone nearby needs an hour or two of elf time. Voila. A few extra bucks, and you’ll feel good about what you’ve accomplished.

Either way, don’t let yourself get bogged down. Put a little elf in your step and you’ll be amazed at what you can get done.

Growing up in our family, Christmas was a love-hate holiday. Mommy loved having a big tree. Of course, trees don’t look so big when they’re outdoors, so they’d buy a huge tree. Which meant that Daddy had to cut some off the top, or bottom, or both. Which meant that someone had to hold the tree while he cut (That someone was me). And did I mention that while Daddy was willing when it came to household fixes, no one would have labeled him “handy”?

Once the tree was finally cut down to size, it had to go into the tree stand. Back then, we didn’t have big tree stands like we do now. So that was another concern — how to get the big tree stabilized in the little base, then the base stabilized. Then, of course, it had to be straight. Never mind that the tree itself wasn’t straight, and God knows the cut on the bottom wasn’t either. And on it went. Then came my job of stringing the lights without jostling the tree in the slightest. To say getting the tree up was stressful is an understatement.

But when it was done, it was a source of great joy. Lots of people from all walks of life would drop by, not just to see the tree, but to see my folks or be part of our family for a few hours. They didn’t need a reason or an invitation. Friends went out of their way to be “passing by, so they thought they’d stop in.” We loved it. The tree was like the symbol of my parents warmth.

For many years after I moved away from home, I didn’t have a tree. Too much bother. No one to really care about it. Even after Rex and I were married, if he initiated it, we’d have a tree. Otherwise, I’d let it slide.

This year is different. One of our nieces from Norway has been living with us, and my husband wanted her to have a nice Christmas tree. I came home one day to find a beautiful tree sitting straight and tall in our living room. Of course, I fell right into place putting on the lights. Then we had a wonderful evening, decorating the tree and listening to Michael W. Smith’s It’s a Wonderful Christmas (great CD). To me, the tree celebrates that Jesus left heaven because He cares about broken hearts and lives. It was a special time.

I don’t take my situation this year for granted. I’m aware that plenty of people don’t have health, home, or loved ones nearby. They didn’t grow up with the joy (and stress) of putting up a big tree as part of a loving family. There are people for whom the pain of loss or fear of the future dominates their days. They may not even have horses to comfort them.

Whether your tree is in your living room or it’s the National tree in Washington, D.C., let it remind you of the angel’s greeting, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Merry Christmas.

The past few days I’ve had the flu. By the second day, I was both sick and bored, so I picked up a book that I’ve been meaning to read for some time. It’s the first in a series for 9-12 year old girls  (my reading level that day). Starlight Animal Rescue — Runaway — by Dandi Daley Mackall. It was delightful. So many good insights.

The main character, Dakota Brown, arrives at a foster home and immediately plans her escape. She says, “I've run away seven times--never once to anything, just away from. Maybe that's why they call me a "runaway," and not a "run-to."

I found myself wondering how many times I may have run away, rather than to something.

Of course, a relationship with a horse turns her whole picture around, but not without some drama. There are lots of moments of grace that left me wondering if I’d handle things the way her foster parents did. Would I, in the heat of the moment, use a stick rather than a carrot?

No question that this book is worth reading, both for moms and daughters. (Ok, guys. You might like it, too.) One reason is that it’s great fodder for family discussion and for building a relationship with your pre-teen. Be sure to discuss in a way that your teen sees the important points and you don’t come across as preachy or heavy-handed. You don’t want her to run away from sharing her thoughts with you. A key question to ask might be: What part of this story is like real life and what part is fantasy?

Note some of the good horsemanship elements. Advice such as not walking straight toward a hard-to-catch horse but approaching from the side shows good insight. In another situation, Dakota didn’t take the reins but had a death grip on the horse’s mane. Of course, she fell off because she couldn’t control the horse who started to prance when another horse whooshed by. Experienced horse people know these things. Novices pick it up from watching or being told. Pre-teens sometimes pick it up reading books about girls they identify with. Discuss what part of handling the horse wasn’t really safe and only works out in books, but do that without squashing your daughter’s right to dream.

I won’t say much about the relationship elements or I’ll give away the story, but they follow along the same line as the unconditional love one girl has for a horse. You can discuss whether your child thinks someone’s reaction is real or not. Clearly some of these characters understand God’s grace and others don’t. That’s a great conversation starter, too.

One thing you shouldn’t overlook, though, is that this is fiction when it comes to the transformation from wild to trained. Dakota is able to take the wild-yesterday horse and today ride him bridleless and bareback in a scary situation. That falls into the category of, “Don’t try this at home.”

Granted, horses who have been previously trained, then have become fearful due to mismanagement, do remember their training when they become convinced that they won’t be hurt. But, quite often, the horse who has been abused has never been properly trained, or at least has giant holes in his training. This happens a lot with willing horses who go through a quick training process. When they really don’t know what to do next, people think they’re being stubborn. And the fight begins. So what amount of good behavior on the part of horses (or people) is learning to trust, and what part is learning to do?

For $5.99, you’re going to get a whole lot more than a few hours of good reading. Let me know what you think. I’m reading the Winnie the Horse Gentler book by the same author, and will blog about it on www.inspiredbyhorses.com.

There’s an old British cavalry joke that asks, “How do you catch a loose horse?” The answer is “You make a noise like a carrot.”

There’s a lot of wisdom in that line of thinking. In fact, if we’re honest, plenty of us have crunched a carrot, hoping the horse we were trying to catch would become interested and mosey over to us.

Carrots figure prominently as we think about horsemanship. It’s not just that they are loaded with vitamin A. It’s that when we use them wisely — or at least the positive training they symbolize — our horses get a A on performance, and we do, too.

One of the major challenges in life is to operate as if we had only a carrot, and not a stick. So, as we ride through life and horsemanship in this blog, we'll be sure to keep plenty of carrots in our back pocket. And from time to time, we’ll stop and munch on one ...just to enjoy the moment, to make sure we're on the right track, or to encourage ourselves and others to keep thinking in a carrot-worthy mode.

About Maureen:
It's been said that, "Maureen Gallatin is like a life coach through the grid of horsemanship."  She is a writer, speaker, and consultant, and she teaches frequently on the topic of developing confidence. She’s known for her brand of practical wisdom and insights with an inspirational bent. (In fact, it's been quipped that when she's old and in the nursing home, she'll be using stick horses to teach people about life and relationships.)

Maureen was the editor for Perfect Horse magazine for 10 years, and is the founder of Inspired By Horses (www.inspiredbyhorses.com). She can be reached at inspiredbyhorses@gmail.com.

Rounding out the Thanksgiving weekend is like rounding the final turn of the year for me. I think through what I had hoped to get done in 2008, and I narrow that wish list to what I really care about. No sense deluding myself with good intentions. I want to head into the new year unencumbered. So I’m either going to get it done or leave it off the 2008 list.

Last Jan 1, I found myself copying the leftovers from my 2007 to-do list to the new calendar. This year I’m being more realistic. I’m intentionally scheduling some things into 2009 and saying no to others. What’s left will get check marked as DONE — before 2008 kicks the bucket.

With that in mind, it’s unlikely that I’m going to clean out my tack trunk (been on my mental to-do list for a while). I keep telling myself as I dig around in it that I should tidy it up, but realistically speaking, until I either can’t find something or find myself waiting for the farrier, it’s going to stay as is. But I did clean out my closet this past weekend, mostly because I had some old sweaters that I wanted to donate to the second-hand store, and this is certainly sweater weather. Did the same with the linen closet and brought a bunch of blankets to the shelter.

Christmas shopping is one of those thing that teeters on the edge, though. It will get done, but in my own way. I didn’t inherit the shopping gene, so I don’t traipse off to the mall any more often than I do the dentist. But I do give gifts. Fortunately, my family and friends don’t expect anything elaborate. They know that I put thought and care into what I send them, but I don’t buy a shirt for one, steering wheel cover for another, and so forth. Of course, if I had a young family or had to buy multiple gifts for one person, my system wouldn’t work. But it works for me in my situation. I think in categories.

One year, it was books (“What a surprise! Maureen has sent us a book!”). Last year, it was flashlights. I love flashlights and carry one all the time. So I chose a small LED light, a Maglite light, a little flashlight lantern, and so forth. Everyone got a flashlight, chosen just for them.

This year, it will be pens. I’m always finding a new favorite. Not a $230 Mont Blanc, but you’d be amazed how nice a $5.99 Papermate is. So I’m having fun buying just the right pen for everyone on my list. For horse people, you can’t beat a Fisher Space Pen (about $10 to $25). It doesn’t leak, and it writes in any temperature, even when you’re holding it upside down!

Finances are different this year, so I’m downsizing some of my activities. But I’m not trimming my Christmas card list. In fact, I’m sending more cards than usual and writing a personal note in each card, so my friends and family will know they are really loved and remembered, not just on the mailing list. Less stuff, more meaning — Hey, who knows. That may become my theme for 2009!

P.S. On my bucket list for 2008 is to send an email update to those folks who have asked what’s happening with Inspired by Horses. If you’d like to get that email, please let me know at http://www.inspiredbyhorses.com/contact.html.