I stopped at Faith Hill Farm this morning to give apple treats to my favorite horses. I watched as this handsome big strong horse kicked the dirt with his hoofs and paced around the paddock, snorting at the horse in the next paddock. The sign on the fence read “Do not pet or feed this horse”.
He continued to race back and forth and around and around as I stood watching him and wondering what was going on inside of him. Then he stopped and looked at me…I looked back and asked him in a gentle voice “What’s the matter big boy? What’s bothering you?” He stood
still for a few moments just looking at me as I spoke to him. Then he turned and walked away.
I have been thinking about that horse. Is he feeling what many are feeling today? The frustration, the fear, the anger. So much going on here and everywhere in the world. Even if it’s not in our backyard, we can’t escape it. What can we do? We can ignore it hoping that it will get better or go away. But it won’t…
Can we care enough to take notice of what another person is going through? Can we offer a gentle word? Can we perhaps care enough to ask the question? And then can we care enough to listen to the answer? Caring is inside each one of us.
The world is in such turmoil, everywhere we look. It is not the world most of us grew up in but it is the world we all had a part in creating. No, we didn’t deliberately cause the turmoil but perhaps we have been so involved in our own lives, needs and desires that we didn’t notice what has been going on around us. This is natural. But now it’s time that we take notice and think about the common good if not for anyone else but for our children and our grandchildren.
Maybe, it’s time that we let go of the tight grip we have on what we have and what we want and think beyond our little box.
