~Sam~
11-16-2004, 09:07 PM
With Raven's lead rope held in my right hand and Precious' in my left, we walked down the road toward the backyard pasture.
I had forgotten to put Cody in the house, so this walk was challenging, if not downright dangerous. But, with yelling at the dog to stop nipping at the horse's heels, and getting the horses off to the side of the road so that a car or two could get by, we made it.
Undoing Precious' lead, I turned her loose to run down the hill into the pasture. Raven, being the impatient soul he is, remained a handful while I undid the bull clip from his halter and finally turned him loose too.
As I closed the gate, I thought to myself again; "this is the very bestest part of this whole deal"... watching my horses gallop off, tossing their heads, flaring their manes and tails, rearing and bucking with the sheer delight of being alive.
It wasn't until I was walking back to the barn that I thought of what a friend had said to me last week; "I like to talk to the horse down the road when I take my dog for a walk."
Now ya know, I have this penchant for being extremely private. Maybe too much so, but I'm thinking on it now. Ken and I have worked for the past almost 15 years on planting trees and shrubbery to keep prying eyes out of our backyard. We have been successful, with one exception... the road frontage that overlooks the backyard pasture. It's totally open to public view.
Like I said, I'm thinking on it. I had forgotten how good it made me feel to pass by someone's field and see their horses standing out there. Well, now it's my field, with my horses standing in it. And today I am remembering.
I told Kenny about the email I received, and how I felt about what was said. I told him how her words made me take a step back and truly look at what we have here...
And, I'm taking note of the smiles on the faces of those who drive by here on their daily circuit. How, just how, can I justify keeping these magnificent critters all to myself? Can I say; "These are my horses, and you have no right to look at them."? Not really. Can I feel as though I have exclusive rights to oogle two of the earth's most beautiful creatures? Nope.
I'll tell you true... if seeing a couple of horses in my backyard brings a moment of joy to those who walk or drive by and view them... And, this is the only thing that I ever do with my life... then my life has had some meaning.
This morning, a girl at the store asked me if I was going out to the ranch. This was because of the way I'm dressed, Aussie rain hat, riding boots, and bomber jacket. The ranch would be; River Valley Ranch. It's a spiritually oriented dude ranch a few miles from here. They offer camping, riding and rodeos. They do a good job of what they do, and I always enjoy driving by their complex.
I told her that I'd just come from riding my own horse... she swooned. Typical reaction of a horse lover. I should know, I'm one. We exchanged telephone numbers, and I offered her an open invitation to come riding with me... whenever. The same invitation is still in effect for my neighbor who has gone riding with me several times over the last couple of weeks.
This bit about sharing is a tough one. I've always had a hard time with it, anyways. I found out by experience during the 60's that commune life is only a brief respite from the world at large. By-and-large, it's temporary and totally unsatifactory. You find a meal, an unoccupied/occupied bed to share, and you work off your assumed debt with labor. Then, and all too soon, you're asked to hit the road again.
But now, I am sharing my critters with folk. I have to remember how I felt when I was without them. How I yearned to touch and run my fingers through warm fur. How I ached to have this love given to me by a creature of the Earth.
And I remember. And I weep.
Mayhap, this is my destination in this life... To share the wealth. If that wealth comes in the shapes of goats and horses... so much the better.
So... I take a deep breath. I allow my consciousness to drift to the temporal lobe area of my brain and unfocus... I relax, go under the door into theta state, and open my love to the universe-at-large.
It's a gorgeous day out there folks. I should be out in it. I think I'll remedy that right now.
Have a Good One...
Love,
Sam
http://www.hipgallery.com/photopost2/data/500/638ASS-walkin_c_Raven_n_Precious.jpg
I had forgotten to put Cody in the house, so this walk was challenging, if not downright dangerous. But, with yelling at the dog to stop nipping at the horse's heels, and getting the horses off to the side of the road so that a car or two could get by, we made it.
Undoing Precious' lead, I turned her loose to run down the hill into the pasture. Raven, being the impatient soul he is, remained a handful while I undid the bull clip from his halter and finally turned him loose too.
As I closed the gate, I thought to myself again; "this is the very bestest part of this whole deal"... watching my horses gallop off, tossing their heads, flaring their manes and tails, rearing and bucking with the sheer delight of being alive.
It wasn't until I was walking back to the barn that I thought of what a friend had said to me last week; "I like to talk to the horse down the road when I take my dog for a walk."
Now ya know, I have this penchant for being extremely private. Maybe too much so, but I'm thinking on it now. Ken and I have worked for the past almost 15 years on planting trees and shrubbery to keep prying eyes out of our backyard. We have been successful, with one exception... the road frontage that overlooks the backyard pasture. It's totally open to public view.
Like I said, I'm thinking on it. I had forgotten how good it made me feel to pass by someone's field and see their horses standing out there. Well, now it's my field, with my horses standing in it. And today I am remembering.
I told Kenny about the email I received, and how I felt about what was said. I told him how her words made me take a step back and truly look at what we have here...
And, I'm taking note of the smiles on the faces of those who drive by here on their daily circuit. How, just how, can I justify keeping these magnificent critters all to myself? Can I say; "These are my horses, and you have no right to look at them."? Not really. Can I feel as though I have exclusive rights to oogle two of the earth's most beautiful creatures? Nope.
I'll tell you true... if seeing a couple of horses in my backyard brings a moment of joy to those who walk or drive by and view them... And, this is the only thing that I ever do with my life... then my life has had some meaning.
This morning, a girl at the store asked me if I was going out to the ranch. This was because of the way I'm dressed, Aussie rain hat, riding boots, and bomber jacket. The ranch would be; River Valley Ranch. It's a spiritually oriented dude ranch a few miles from here. They offer camping, riding and rodeos. They do a good job of what they do, and I always enjoy driving by their complex.
I told her that I'd just come from riding my own horse... she swooned. Typical reaction of a horse lover. I should know, I'm one. We exchanged telephone numbers, and I offered her an open invitation to come riding with me... whenever. The same invitation is still in effect for my neighbor who has gone riding with me several times over the last couple of weeks.
This bit about sharing is a tough one. I've always had a hard time with it, anyways. I found out by experience during the 60's that commune life is only a brief respite from the world at large. By-and-large, it's temporary and totally unsatifactory. You find a meal, an unoccupied/occupied bed to share, and you work off your assumed debt with labor. Then, and all too soon, you're asked to hit the road again.
But now, I am sharing my critters with folk. I have to remember how I felt when I was without them. How I yearned to touch and run my fingers through warm fur. How I ached to have this love given to me by a creature of the Earth.
And I remember. And I weep.
Mayhap, this is my destination in this life... To share the wealth. If that wealth comes in the shapes of goats and horses... so much the better.
So... I take a deep breath. I allow my consciousness to drift to the temporal lobe area of my brain and unfocus... I relax, go under the door into theta state, and open my love to the universe-at-large.
It's a gorgeous day out there folks. I should be out in it. I think I'll remedy that right now.
Have a Good One...
Love,
Sam
http://www.hipgallery.com/photopost2/data/500/638ASS-walkin_c_Raven_n_Precious.jpg