Will You Recognize Your Dream Job When You See It?

Have you ever met someone and thought, “There goes me, living the life I should be living”?

That’s how I felt when I met Lynn Reardon at her ex-racehorse adoption ranch, called LOPE (LoneStar Outreach to Place Ex-Racers), just outside of Austin, Texas. It was early in my serial reinvention journey, and I found her listed with a company called Vocation Vacations, which helps would-be career changers test-drive their dream job by spending a few days with someone already in their chosen field.

While perusing the list of dream job vacations, I spotted a line that read: “Be a horse adoption agency director.”

“Wow,” I thought to myself. “Who knew you could even do such a thing!” I felt an instant desire to know more, followed immediately by another thought: people would think I was completely crazy if I tried something like that.

The story of how Lynn learned to work with racehorses and run her adoption ranch is wonderfully told in her new book “Beyond the Homestretch.”

I urge anyone who is interested in reinventing their lives to read it, because it’s not just about horses. It’s a terrific guide for anyone full of self-doubt about changing directions, who thinks they don’t have the experience or the knowledge it takes to enter a new field. It’s also incredibly funny, touching and amazing to read about how putting the horses first allowed Lynn to overcome her own self-doubts and learn new skills.

Like how to give a horse an emergency tracheotomy.

I was fortunate enough to grow up on a farm, and rode horses as a kid. I loved animals and especially horses, but it never occurred to me that I could pursue that path as an actual career. In fact, I wanted nothing more than to escape the isolation of that life for something more exciting, and profitable.

Like me, Lynn always loved horses, but she didn’t learn to ride until she was an adult. When she mentioned her dream of working with horses to the seasoned trainers at her local stable, they looked at her with pity. Horse trainers spend decades learning their craft, and they made it clear they didn’t think Lynn had the experience or the background to be a “real” horsewoman. She was a weekend rider. A dabbler.

Lynn didn’t let it stop her. In 2002, she quit her DC–area office job and moved to Austin to open her racehorse placement program. In the first year of the organization’s existence, she took in over 40 horses.

My sister and I at LOPE

In March, 2007, I invited my sister, who was visiting us in Austin, to sign up for a Vocation Vacation at Lynn’s ranch to see what it would be like to work with horses for a living. It was a hugely rewarding experience. And completely terrifying.

Lynn was a calm, gracious and funny hostess. She let us spend time grooming and caring for the horses, gave us an honest and humble account of her experiences starting the ranch, and even took us behind the scenes at the local racetrack. I was completely enthralled by her story.

I was also addicted to my hectic life and high-tech career. I couldn’t imagine giving up the prestige and income that for me were so closely tied to my identity. Or throwing my hard won experience out the window to become a complete rookie in a new field all over again.

In truth, the idea of going down that road scared the crap out of me. But I never forgot Lynn or the experience at her ranch, and now and then I would visit her web site to see what she’d been up to, vicariously trying on her dream to see if it fit yet. So it didn’t come as a surprise when I saw her book had been published.

I immediately ordered two copies, and sent one to my sister. Halfway through it, I realized that my heart was pounding, and my hands were shaking. I read it cover to cover, then put it down. I walked away, and worked on other things.

After our weekend at the LOPE , I was certain that going back to farm life, with only the animals to provide feedback on whether I was doing a good job or not, was not the right choice for me. Now, I am beginning to realize that maybe Lynn was on to something. From reading her book, I understand that her career transition was anything but easy. But I also felt a sense of recognition. I understood, finally, that there was something there that I wanted  in my life.

I’m not sure where that realization will lead, or when, yet. But I am grateful to Lynn for sharing her journey in her book, and for reminding me of where I come from.