Lessons I have learned from my horses #2
Well believe it or not I wiped out again, but it was actually ok. This time I was riding my young horse and schooling over some small fences. I did not approach the fence straight and it had some funny colors and shapes, he jumped it but then got all jiggy after and off I went. Fortunately, the only thing I hurt was my side and my pride, but I did look at him from the ground and thought “why did you did that to me, you stinker!” As soon as I caught my “thought thing” (click here for what is a “thought thing”? )I corrected it. He didn’t “do anything to me” he was just doing Gus (his name is Gus). He was reacting to the situation that was presented to him, by myself, which was new fences, not a straight approach, kind of scary and whether he was excited, scared, sore I am not sure…but it wasn’t about me…it was about him. To be mad at him because he did not react in a way that I would like is futile. He needs help, more education, more training, more time…..there is nothing like a little age to give you that wisdom that can not be taught. This also applies to people though. Recently I reached out to someone in my past. This individual has a long history with drugs and alcohol and really caused a lot of angst in my life. This person was a big part of my life and had been on my mind so I thought I would just check in. I got no response sadly, so I reached out to a mutual friend in which they stated this person was “POS I shouldn’t bother, they are user and only cares about themselves”. Maybe…but that was also my experience, so this was not new knowledge. What I have realized with my “age and wisdom” is that the angst this person caused me really had nothing to do with me either. At the time it felt personal, but now I realize they were reacting to the environment that they created for themselves. Maybe their reaction was not what I would have liked, really no one would have, and I’m not condoning bad behavior, I just realize once again, that it wasn’t about me it was about them. What is sad is most people are coming to the table with their best hand. People are not in general walking around thinking about how they can make you or themselves miserable. Most people are generally doing their best. So if your opinion of someone or someone’s behavior is less than positive keep in mind, they likely are doing their best. And…if you think that little of them, imagine how they must feel about themselves. We can not fix everyone especially those that do not want help, but we can work on ourselves. So when a situation arises, like you get dumped by your horse and start to curse him, think about how you can change yourself or help you horse (environment) to have a more positive outcome next time.
“The load you carry isn’t what breaks you, but how you carry it”
