Fall is so beautiful in Vermont, USA. We have lots of trees, and they turn the most incredible colors. I only see yellow, green, and blue, but the many shades of yellows are amazing. I hear red and orange are really striking, but I have no way of relating to that. Like all horses, my eye structure doesn’t let me see red.
I heard a fellow at the barn say an interesting thing: “If you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” That reminded me of how everyone sees the world through their own filters. What’s good in one person’s eyes may be evil in another’s. It’s why we have wars. It’s why we have prejudice. It’s the cause of most of man’s (and woman’s) suffering.
Is there a solution to this? It’s not possible for us to all see things the same way, but knowing that fact is a big help in releasing the judgement of others. When we can acknowledge that we’re all doing the best we can with what we’ve got, it’s a lot easier to let go of any anger or frustration we feel. Just let people be who they are, protect yourself if you have to, but let the rest of it go. If you really look at it, there’s very little in this world that’s worth fighting about.
Is there something going on in your life right now that you could heal by simply letting it go? Give it a try!
Love, Moshi
From Indy:
I came in the house with my long tawny coat full of nasty burrs. Jane spent an hour pulling the prickly things out of my hair. It hurt sometimes, when she’d pull on just a few hairs, but I knew she was trying to help me so I gritted my teeth and tolerated it.
Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do. Like go to the doctor or the dentist. Maybe, for you, it’s going to a job that’s not exactly fulfilling your dreams.
So what can you do to make an icky situation more tolerable?
I do my best to make dealing with discomfort a game. I find the top three best things about the situation, and then occupy my mind with finding a way to make those elements even better. Such as, when I have to go to the vet, I look for the most beautiful girl dog in the place, and make funny faces at her until she smiles. It’s a great game that takes my mind off the fact that I might be there to get a shot or some other unpleasantness.
While Jane was pulling burrs out of my coat, I stared out the window and imagined flying over the houses and the trees. I saw a big hawk flying around, and pretended I was on his back, searching for bunnies from the air with sharp, hawk eyes. It was a fun vision that took my mind of the sting of my hair getting pulled.
What do you do to help you tolerate uncomfortable situations? Do you have tools you know you can use, or do you make up solutions on the spot?
Love, Indy
Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602