Juggling.

Sometimes, I get so sick of juggling.  I feel bad complaining, because everyone I know is juggling, and many friends have it much harder than I do.

Still, school is a lot right now - I don't do all of the readings I'm assigned, and I still have well over 200 pages a week to read.  Most of it is interesting stuff, and I don't mind the work, but finding time is not easy.  Work isn't awful, but my hours put a strain on me sometimes.  Tonight, my shift is 6:45 PM - 2:00 AM.  I know I won't get to sleep until much later than that, and I have an exam tomorrow afternoon, so I am going to have to wake up early enough to eat breakfast, review my notes, and get to class.  I just get tired.  I'm lucky that tomorrow's latest class is cancelled, so I can go to see Gali right after my exam.

It's really tough having him an hour away.  I don't know how much longer I can do it.  When I have time on the weekends, it's fine, because we have all that time together - but more and more frequently, my weekends are being taken up by work, family, and academic responsibilities.

I am thankful for the farm, though.  I don't think I'll find a facility as nice as this farm any time soon, or anywhere around here.  The fields are meticulously maintained and massive.  The trails go back for miles and miles - as far as you can ride, there will be trails.  There's a track!  The jump ring is big enough for any sort of riding, and the dressage ring is small enough and fenced in enough that I feel secure when Gali is acting up - almost as secure as I would feel in an indoor.

I have so many friends there.  I'm not a competitive rider by any stretch of the imagination, so having friends at the farm is one of the most important parts of choosing a farm to me.  Riding is about myself and my horse, yes, but it's also social.

It's not even like I'd get much closer.  If I find a farm near Rutgers, I have to deal with 287 traffic and nearly all of them are over half an hour away if I go west or north.  Allentown/Horse Park area would be a super easy trip from school, but it's much farther from my *real* home. 

Still, I don't think I can deal with the distance much longer - if my schedule doesn't lighten up. Plus, if I'm going to get an NYC internship and take summer classes, which I really should do, then I'll be at Rutgers most of the year anyway.

So, now, in addition to juggling school, work, and horse, I'm trying to decide if I should move him closer, and risk a crappier facility or poor management, or deal with the distance and not get to see Gali nearly as frequently, but know that he is in good hands.

Help.