Getting back on the horse that bucked you off!
January 1, 2014 In the Year of the Horse!
And no, I don’t mean having a mimosa today if you are totally hung over! I’m talking figuratively here about our relationships with our animals. And, sometimes, it is about literally getting back on the horse that bucked you off.
One of the Four Agreements in Don Miguel Ruiz’s book by that title is: Never take anything personally. I believe that includes our animal companions. No matter how evolved, enlightened and humanized your animal companion is, they are still playing by species specific rules. Your dog is still going to go by dog standards, your cat is still going to be the cat, and your horse is still being a horse.
The first step is forgiving. Many of the mistakes that our animal companions make, boils right down to a bad set up on our part. Not only do we have to forgive our animals, we have to forgive ourselves. Forgive, take note and be a better emotional leader.
I remember being SO offended when my horse would buck. It hurt my feelings. I was boarding my horse in LA at the time. I may have reacted with anger or frustration. Then, I would drive home from the barn thinking, “I can’t believe she did that to me, does she know how hard I work to come here and be treated like that?” I could have a whole big pity party. She doesn’t have to know all of that, it doesn’t matter, she’s the horse!
Then, I would realize the next day, either there was something wrong with the girth of the saddle, or I had asked too much of her when she wasn’t warmed up enough, etc. It was almost always my fault.
I have to catch myself not being offended when my dogs or cats misbehave as well. It is almost always a fault of mine. I might not have created good enough boundaries at first, or let them get away with something once when I wasn’t in the mood to deal with it. Or, they plain old didn’t even understand the rules. Then it’s suddenly a personal problem!
In my work as an animal communicator, I see this with other people all the time. Sometimes, they don’t even realize how hurt their feelings are, or how offended they are by the behavior.
This year, let’s join to create the intention to be better emotional leaders and have harmonious households/barns.
