Living

What does it mean to you to be alive? Does it mean filling up a journal full of experiences, or planning and saving for retirement? Does it mean having shelter or merely surviving?  For a horse, living is about the moment-  There are no 5, 10, 20 year plans and no 7 year itches.  They are present, in the now, ALL the time.  Decisions are based on survival, what works for them and their herd right now.  There is not any stressing about what to do when the kids leave the herd, or what new mane and tail style the lead horse has this week.  It is about the moments that keep them alive.  Not to say that horses do not have fun.  Looking out the window at my own herd, it is lightly snowing and a smidge below zero and they are running and kicking up their heels. I can tell by their body language that they are enjoying themselves.

Coming into the now

In my own experience, I have had the habit of trying to live more for the fun moments, avoid the sad or anxiety ridden moments as much as possible.  However, I am learning that these moments are the ones that build character and I am also in charge of feeling anxiety or sadness.  These emotions and situations are necessary at times and embracing those moments and living in the now with them gets me a lot further than wishing I was doing something else.  Many of us have caught ourselves saying "It will be better when..." or "If I could just.... Then I would be happy".  These thoughts are of no concern to a horse.  They think for the moment, for survival and do what they need to do in the NOW.  


Being responsible people we do need to plan for the future: how will we provide for our family or how and when do we want to retire, if that is our desire, for example.  But that does not mean that we cannot live in the moment and be present in what we do.  Truly living is living in the now.  Putting your life energy into these moments that matter, for putting energy into the future is given away to something we cannot see or control.