Tuesday morning stirred up a wicked and windy announcement that blew the air with electricity snapping everything around me in its path. I gazed across the vast range of land I live on and felt a storm brewing. Something was spinning out in the distance, planning it’s destined arrival. Or was this unsettled energy in me? Then I saw the strangest thing; two huge ravens fighting on the ground about 100 feet in front of me. One was really beating the crap out of the other. I’d never seen anything quite like it.
I told a friend about it, she remarked one must have really offended the other, or taken something? Interesting interpretation I surmised, but it didn’t feel quite right.
Looking at all the food around as they continued arguing over one tiny piece of something, I thought, this is a metaphor for scarcity vs abundance… a conversation that’s really up for a lot of us these days. I was in a personal situation where this issue was in my face too.
I’ve lived on land for about four years, but in my heart I feel like I have always belonged to this life. The road signs from the environment, as I like to call them, are as obvious to me now as the English language.
Two years ago, I got tossed on the ground when a young horse spooked and ran over the top of me. The result of those few seconds of chaos and confusion was a broken left shoulder. My bad luck was compounded by the fact that I had no health insurance, having just lost my only consulting client and all the benefits attached.
The orthopedic doctor pronounced me "not able to have full motion in my left arm again." Even with the $30,000.00 surgery he was willing to perform.
I drove home after the doctor’s visit that morning feeling like I was driving under water and in stunned disbelief.
Finally I made my way up the winding, two- mile paved road towards home and found my horse Sage standing all alone at the top of the hill by the barn gate. I pulled my truck over and rolled down the window. Looking up at her beautiful face, I'd said softly, "I believe it's a good day for a ride. What do you think?"
She licked, chewed and bopped her pretty head up and down a few times and she seemed to be the best counsel I'd had all morning.
BY FEEL
On a beautiful, bright, cool afternoon we rode on the hills and in the valleys of the land we both knew so well.
I became increasingly aware of my thoughts. What do I really care about? How do I make a contribution from this place? I didn’t want to react to the pressures I was currently facing. I wanted to respond from grace and create something new. My energy, resourcefulness and life force were precious currency. I had traded on it every time I indulged myself in worry and fear. I vowed I wouldn't do that anymore.
I recalled we'd stopped to rest at the top of rattlesnake ridge. I watched the shadow from the sun inch its way across on the toe of my boot. I hadn’t watched sun shadows since I was a kid.
On that day more than two years ago, I realized it was my life that had a limited range of motion. I'd been comfortably stuck, content to inch along. The accident, job loss and all that came bundled along with it wasn’t penance. Instead, this was a necessary journey to reconnect and reinvigorate my life’s purpose and me. I’d been off course. The accident was a course correction.
Now two years later, my shoulder completely healed I stood next to my noble horse Sage facing into the East. I reminded myself to listen deeply from my heart and trust even as I felt uncertain and apprehensive about pending events. Just then a red- tail hawk circled above us and called.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Horse Sense for the 21st Century™ Alyssa Aubrey, CEGE Incorporates horses in human development through Equine Guided Education. www.medicinehorseranch.org
