I am, at heart, a cowgirl. I know, you’ve seen all the pictures of the fashion and the cities, and you’re wondering if you’re in the right blog right now. But, the fact of the matter is, I learned to ride a horse at the same moment I learned to walk. I know how to cook chili and cornbread using only a campfire, I can deal with a feminine bathroom situation in the backcountry, and I can also still style the ass off of any fashion situation in any city around the world.

I think growing up in a small town with mainly my horse for a companion has given me a perspective, not to mention strength and resilience, that no other background could have imparted. I’d be willing to bet, now that you know, you may even see some of that history in my outlook and my outfits.

If you neglect where your journey started, you’re probably in for a “you forgot who you are” reckoning.

What’s My Point?

Learn to love where you come from. Who you are does not need to be a one-note, single-lane sort of a situation. Who you are is an evolution, and if you neglect where you started…well, you’re probably in for a later in life uncomfortable you forgot who you are sort of reckoning. It is worth noting and analyzing your roots. Whether you like it or not, they have shaped you.

By the way, these photos are courtesy of my mother’s attic, from when I was literally begged to finalize a Project Runway application…and then turned it down. If that is not a precursor to the epiphany that came next in my life, I don’t know what is.

What seeing all of these happy Kait-on-a-horse photos did for me was help me remember how good life was before I decided I was going to become some bigwig jet-setter. It also reminded me that I’ve been resilient and self-sufficient from a very young age. Like that time I got thrown off one of my many horses and had to hoof it back to the ranch on foot for ~5 miles. I caught that ornery horse, cinched my saddle a little tighter, and made him go out again, just to prove that even at 6 years old, I was the boss.

Its true that I rarely encounter a horse or a few hundred head of cattle these days, but that doesn’t mean I am any less that little ranch girl with all of her stubborn and sarcastic ways. What’s more, I can’t come up with a better way to go through childhood than learning about myself in a wildly beautiful setting with all the fur kids I could ever hope to play with. When I was ready to go out and explore the rest of the world, I had some emotional tools many of my peers did not have, because I had to be that spunky little horse-woman as a kid.

Embrace The Evolution

You might notice there’s been a bit of a style evolution from ranch Kait to now Kait, but one thing has always held true: I wear what I want, because it makes me happy. I also still love adventures, and helping others learn to explore their own unique lives and experiences.

So, now its your turn. Put your mind to your roots and your family for a moment. What have they taught you that you barely noticed or took for granted? Can you see how some of those experiences created the beautiful creature that is you? How can you pass it on, through thoughts and deeds, that might help those around you in their own self assessments and life journeys?

Make sure you keep your inner eye on all that childhood knowledge. And don’t forget who you are.

XOXO,