When they’re coming round the turn, best option is to hang on tight and enjoy the view.

The word stretch is a funny one. It’s both a verb and a noun and has a multitude of uses and definitions. A stretch can be long or short. It can be positive or negative. You can have a stretch of good luck or bad luck. You can stretch yourself too thin or not enough. When the horses are coming down the stretch, for better or for worse, you know the end is in sight. So the word stretch, for me, this year, has more relevance than ever before.

We are just over mid-way through 2013 (aptly represented by the snake). I have to say this has been a year (as the Chinese predicted) of very high highs and very low lows with not a lot of inbetween. 2013, like almost no other year (except for maybe 2009) is proving to be one that challenges me and forces me to stretch like no other. This year, I must trust others more to help me, when I have not much more to give. I must believe in the flexibility and durability of relationships, where I can stretch them as thinly as possible without fearing of their breakage. I must push myself to stretch my optimism and energy – to continue to believe that whatever happens next, in the end it will be for the best. And I must be wary of the stretch – that no matter how reliable and pliable and strong things may seem, that everyone and everything has a breaking point.

So it’s not a stretch (sorry, couldn’t help myself) to say that I’m approaching the second half of this year with some wariness. I’ve had some amazing time with friends and family in places so wonderful that I can hardly believe that I was there. Conversely, I’ve also had days so terrible and full of fear that it took all my strength to soldier on in the belief that things eventually will get better. I realize that there are many things I have to attend to and no matter what, I will have to continue to stretch and balance and just try to do the best I can. After all, it is almost August, and if you listen really closely, you might just begin to hear those horses coming right around the bend…