HORSES AS OUR MIRRORS

Upon returning home from England I couldn't wait to just "BE" with my horses.  I realize it has been a long time since I just listened to them.  As I tune into them, what comes forth is a symphony of grass picking and munching.  As I quiet my mind and close my eyes, my back is turned away from the horses.  I zero in on the one that is closest to me and listen to the sweet rhythm of grass chewing.  When I think I know which horse it is, I open my eyes and see that I am wrong but it doesn't matter.  I am just as satisfied as I can be to listen to all the sounds.  I hear cicadas, crickets, panting sounds (my dog is always under my chair), horse snorts, and bird chirps.  I need nothing more in this moment.  I stop trying to figure out which horse is munching on the grass as I relax into the bliss of being in the moment.  

My horse Bella comes to my mind as I remember times long gone when I didn't enjoy her company, knowing all along there was something inside of me (not her) that needed adjusting.  She was just my excuse for not looking within.  As long as I could point the finger at her and label her behavior as "bad" (Bad Baby Bella) I wouldn't have to look into the mirror.  As I acknowledged the fact that I did not like her, my resistance melted.  Acknowledgement of my feelings liberated me.  I realized that if I had simply passed Bella on to someone else,  I would never have gained insight into the feeling of complete acceptance with no desire to change things, especially Bella.  How grateful I am to this lovely ginger!  She is quirky, clownish, sometimes unmanageable, expressive, playful, beautiful, and most of all a "gift giver".  I have learned so many lessons from Bella, the greatest of which is simply to accept "what is".  Bella has nudged me down the path of greater awareness and acceptance of who I am as well.     

Thank you Bella. 

Keep shining, 

Linda