Outgrowing The Things You Love
January 15, 2024
Author: Caroline Burke
Editor: Ryan Hammel
Growing up involves an array of complex emotions and changes, one of the most poignant being the realization that we might outgrow the things we once loved deeply. This realization hit me hard in my senior year of high school when I decided to quit horseback riding - a sport that had been my entire world for 13 years.
From a very young age, horses took up my entire mind. I was obsessed. Each Christmas, the top of my wishlist was always the same: a pony. My wish partially came true when I was four and took my first pony ride; that moment sparked a passion in me that seemed insatiable. Luckily for me, there was a barn just across the street from my school, allowing me to spend every possible waking moment after school in the company of horses and the safe and familiar walls of the barn. After discovering this barn, my love and dedication to riding took off, eventually leading me to make the tough decision to leave school to devote more time to the sport.
My years throughout high school consisted of being on the road for months at a time, traveling, and competing, and I loved it more than anything else. After deciding to leave my high school, many people raised concerns. However, these comments never phased me because I knew my love for horses and the sport was something that others couldn’t understand, and I was so stable in my decision until senior year rolled around. As the year approached, a troubling realization dawned on me: the love and passion I once felt for horseback riding had begun to wane. What was once a source of abundant joy and excitement slowly became a routine that no longer filled me with the same enthusiasm. This shift in feelings was not sudden; it was a gradual process that I initially ignored and later struggled to acknowledge. Admitting to myself that I no longer loved something that had defined a significant part of my identity was heart wrenching, eventually leading to one of the most complex decisions I have ever made: quitting.
Part of growing up has made me accept the sadness of outgrowing the things I love. My journey with horseback riding, from a determined young girl who could think of nothing better than spending her days at the barn to a senior in high school who made the difficult decision to walk away, taught me invaluable lessons about change, identity, and letting go. Although painful at first, letting go of horseback riding has allowed me to explore new interests and aspects of my identity that I had previously neglected. Since deciding to quit, I have been able to focus on self-discovery and have realized that our passions and interests can evolve just as we do. The space that horseback riding once occupied in my life has now been filled with new adventures and experiences that continue to shape my journey throughout life.
Outgrowing the things we love is a bittersweet aspect of personal growth, encompassing everything from sports and studies to relationships. Recognizing when something no longer fits into our lives is crucial for human growth. While daunting, moving on is a natural part of maturing, filled with mixed emotions that signal our development.
Embracing these changes with forgiveness rather than guilt taught me to see the end of a passion not as quitting but as something that was meant to happen. This mindset shift helped me appreciate that interest might fade, but the lessons and memories last a lifetime. Although my experience with horseback riding has ended for now, it is a chapter of my life I cherish, reminding me that our past passions leave lasting imprints, guiding us toward new experiences and opportunities for growth.
