The price of gas right now is just insane. When it first started rising, I remembered the downturn of 2008 and the vague recollection of waiting in a gas line when I was a child, and said, it’s not so bad.

But this week I did a lot of traveling. I also looked at the price per gallon, multiplied it by the size of my gas tank and cringed.

It is difficult to recover financially after a split. Right now I am chafing at how achingly long it is taking. The price of gas does not help. So I started to think of what I could do to bring in a little more money to help with expenses.

I checked with the horse riding barn where we help out and my sons ride to see if there were more work times available. There were’t.

Then I had another thought. Some years ago, not long after the separation, a friend who braided horses for a living offered to teach me to braid manes and tails. At the time, I declined, because I couldn’t figure out how I could manage toddler James around horses while working.

I contacted my friend, but she isn’t braiding any longer, and lives out of state. So I checked with more of my horsey friends, and found someone who knew someone else on a local farm who could teach me. I had my first lesson recently. James was content with a friendly barn cat to play with and his Nintendo to play on.

I don’t think I would braid full time. But I am hoping to get proficient enough to do some horses for shows. Even at a starting rate, at least that will help with gas.

Beyond commuting a short distance for work and necessary errands, my biggest gas expenses are visits to the riding barn and visits to family. These are two things I have no desire to give up. Family is important. And horses are my therapy, as well as something the boys love.

So for now, I let go of my paid lot parking spot, to free up some money each month. And I have skipped on some things like groceries, and accepted some help from my older son, Erick.

I still hope gas prices will fall. But the market for gas is volatile, and there’s no way to know when prices will come down.

Please don’t blame our politicians for gas prices; they really don’t have any more control over them than we do. With the possible exception of Pennsylvania’s gas tax, anyway.