Throwing the car in park, I hopped out and continued my race into my house; kicking off my shoes I ran through the house trying not to face plant it. There is no better way to describe it, I looked like a wet cat; my short -now black- hair stuck to my face and neck, my pants were now an awkward mix of baggy and clingy, and my shirt once a bright pink now looked dull red. It was obvious, I had just finished referring from my drowned whistle, saturated poncho, and the damp, Manchester United soccer ball in my trunk.

Bagel in my mouth, I pulled up to my second job of the day, concession stand duty at the horse show. Two large, red roofed buildings stood out among-st the sea of cars and horse trailers. With one sniff you could take in the memories; kids falling off, that first time horseback -the scent is nasty back then-, and every first blue, red, and green ribbon. The barn hasn’t changed much since I was that young, sure some things have been remodeled but overall it has a timeless feel like you could lose a whole day if you're not watching closely. Shaking the thought from my head, I jog up the clubhouse steps into the kitchen, passing riders -their wrinkle free blazers, stark white dress shirts, and shiny tall black boots- and the occasional stable parent -contrasting their riders, are covered in dirt.

Referring is a responsibility that I carry around with me, it's one of the lighter weights I carry around with me. Though sometimes even what we love doing can get rather taxing, especially when it rains throughout the day creating giant mud puddles and michigan pothole sized crevices in the goalie box. This job balances with working at the barn both are responsibilities that I carry around, working at the barn is weighted down with memories and has become more of a responsibility.

As the oldest child in my family I tend to shoulder more responsibility than my younger sister, this also causes me to be more independent and less likely to ask others for help. I push for this independents by doing things like working whenever a job comes up so I don't have to ask my parents from money when I want to do something. Though sometimes I falter and will end up forgetting that I need to pick my sister up from practice, it's all apart of the journey though. These weights shape who we are and allow you to grown to be responsible, dependable adults.