How Ari learns to be interested and Angi (yet again) learns more patience

I am exausted and it is only going to get worse this next week due to bootcamp but I drag my tired butt to play with Ari despite the wind. I have a different mind set today. Ari has not learned trust yet and how can I blame him? I seem to have a plan he isnt sure he needs to follow. I remind myself to trust in the timing and just take the time it takes. How can I forget that? Each horse is different and Ari is special. I am sure that God has given me the horse that I am meant to have despite if he challenges me and maybe exactly because he will. I have had him two weeks now and I am sure it feels like I am not far enough along but Ari is where he needs to be. I remind myself that this is about creating his whole lifetime attitude. How I work him will decide how he views us humans. We start in the roundpen today and I do a little more desensitizing to the flag that Jamie forgot when she was visiting and I have stolen :) Awesome little flag! I use the stick and string all over him and teach him that hitting the ground with it should not make him jump out of his skin. I use the flag above his head and wave it around while he moves. He is bothered at first but yet again is quickly past it. Then we go out on the five acres again. I am less nervous of him pulling away from me because he is becoming very soft online and in his circles around me. We meet the pedestal and I reward Ari for every little try to step towards it. Ari learns to put his nose on it and then put his head over it to eat the grass on the other side. He is food motivated and I use this to my advantage. As soon as he trys to step on it we walk away. Then in a sleep deprived moment of silly exaustion I get fixated on teaching him to take a treat out of my hand. I get a cookie that smells like oatmeal and shove it between his clenched lips. He does not like it. He does not know what cookies are and both kinds I try he spits out. It must have looked funny, him putting his head up and me shoving cookies in his mouth. Then I walk to the huge shipping container that has the grain in it. Ari is afraid of it but I convince him to come close and then shove grain in his mouth. This he likes and he actually learns to take some from my hand but with a few close calls of his teeth eating my fingers. We work it out and then we take a walk to the trailer and eat grain at it. I ask and Ari actually puts his foot inside and paws it. I am pleased and walk away with him following. Our day feels so successful! He follows me while I feed out grain to the other horses. Ari walks over a piece of wood that cracks and makes loud sounds and steps on a stick that smacks him. I look back to see Ari almost jump into my lap! AHHHHH Wild horses :)