Silver Lining at the Silver Dollar- Daily Stride #4

After a year like 2020, it’s refreshing to hear that there were some positives that came out of it. When we left Las Vegas last year, the world shut down. Getting back to “normal” will take some more time still and, until then, we have returned to a show, and a world, that is a tad bit different than we remember.

The upside is there are some good things that came out of last year. Like the miracle story of our very own gate person, Dawn Duryea. Diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma, Dawn was given a 5% chance of survival, due to her risky surgery. Last year, many of you watched as a very sick Dawn left on the last day of the show with a 104 fever. Her prognosis did not look good, but as Dawn puts it, “God had a greater plan.”

She is back with us this year at the Silver Dollar after receiving the news in October that she is in remission. With her renewed lease on life, Dawn encourages us to clear out the clutter in our lives. She rightfully has a “live life to the fullest’ attitude and is taking her own advice. She purged toxic relationship, become a minimalist, and found jobs in beautiful climates. With room to travel as she pleases, she has an open door policy about meeting new friends and has jumped on any spontaneous chance to run into an old one. “Life is great” she raves, and “why wouldn’t it be!”

Although we can’t live the hardships that Dawn has faced, we can take her outlook and apply it to our own. 2020 brought forward many unforeseen struggles, but 2021 could be our new lease on life. We are at the best horse show vacation of the year after all! The bars and restaurants are open, the craps table is hot, and there are points, money, and prizes up for grabs in the show pen. Time to purge what doesn’t serve us, both in and out of the show pen and get busy living life!