So . . . will you give me some words of encouragement as I try to breathe life into this comatose blog "TREASURES . . . ," for the treasures of life truly are what I want to describe in any writing that comes from my "pen": the innumerable gems (rough and polished) of relationship and learning that come from living on this imperfect and glorious Earth.
During my absence from blogging, I have learned much about my relationships with God, other people, and with my animals, particularly my horses.
The lessons that come from our interactions with other living Beings, whether with a Capital "B" denoting God or whether a lowercase "b" denoting other people or animals as equally imperfect as we, these are the lessons that make Life worthwhile, for as long as we are learning and growing, we are alive. Life IS Growth. We are made for relationship, and I will post about the growth, both painful and joyful, that those interactions create through the experiences I have.
I hope you will share your questions about life and relationships and teaching and learning and about the growth you desire and have experienced. Our exchanges will benefit us as they prompt us to think about what we value and about where we are willing to invest our energies and resources . . . about where we are GOING and who we want to be.
One of the relationships into which I have recently entered is with a delicate, tri-colored, young, pony mare . . .
She was "free" (ha, ha! No such thing as a "free" horse.) because the owner was going in for knee surgery and hadn't been able to "do anything with her" in the year she had owned her. Since untrained horses are nothing but "dog food" nowadays, I opted to take her. There was something in her expression that showed intelligence and a willingness . . . but she wasn't in the right environment to develop those qualities. I was told that she was not able to be caught without the help of several people cornering her . . . and her feet were overgrown. As it was, it took four people to corner her and halter her before I arrived with the horse trailer. I drove to the veterinarian's office and had her vaccinated (she was quite docile about it), and had to give her a name (I dubbed her "BitOHoney" to complement my old POA gelding Snickers whom you may have met in an earlier post) and have had her back at the ranch for two weeks. I try to work with her for a short time once or twice a day, always haltering her before taking her out of the pen to grass.
She now lets me approach, usually without turning away, and if I hold out the halter in front of her nose and say, "put your nose in it!" she will turn her head toward the halter and sometimes dip her nose, and lets me put it gently over her muzzle and buckle it behind her ears. She is a very reactive little pony, and it doesn't take much to frighten her, but one thing I have learned:
When I think I have waited long enough for her to respond to a cue . . .
wait a little bit longer. :)
She is part of my required course work for the completion of PATIENCE 201 . . .
I'm not sure with what grade I will end the course, but I think she will be fair when it's time to give me the final score.
QUESTION: What are some of the most valuable classes you have taken in the learning of Patience?
