Marvelous Mister Mark

In the morning, I awake to my busy life. First, I feed the dog and prepare breakfast for the ancient cat which has no teeth, then I make breakfast for the humans, wash dishes and follow up on emails and messages from friends and clients. When I feel my morning duties are complete, I can head outside to spend my time with my horses.

As soon as I approach my first horse – my beautiful stallion -- I feel the tension of morning obligations fade away, and I am encompassed within a bubble of peaceful solitude. Just me and my horse. No expectations. I only want to brush him and pet him and love him, and lose myself in his powerful presence. I want to breathe deeply. There is no room here for outside considerations. This is my happiness.

Of course, I love to provide healthy support to friends, family, clients and animals. That’s a powerful way to show love, and to show people they are important to me; my life. I feel the best way to continue doing that effectively is to also care for myself. The horses provide that mental space for me.

His ears are pricked as he watches me walk down the small hill to his paddock, greeting me with a quiet nicker. He steps forward, toward the gate as he sees me enter, and pokes his nose out to receive the halter I have in my hands. I feed him a couple of treats, and scratch his ears before grabbing a brush. I’m not sure who gets more out of our sessions together – probably me.

After providing a deep, thorough groom to his shiny, black coat, I reach to detangle a long, dark mane whipped into snarls by the wind. No matter how patient I and my horse behave, I cannot untangle it without a good snip. I pick up my scissors. It pains me emotionally to cut into such a luxurious mane, but I cut off a resistant piece, freeing a greater mass of thick hair, allowing it to flow unrestrained over a lovely neck as I continue the silent, rewarding struggle of mane detangling. It’s an art. It’s a slow process that requires concentration. The cutting part only happens once a year; in the spring, when I realize another Wisconsin winter has caused me to neglect sufficient mane care, leaving about six horses needing haircuts.

Our grooming session ends with Mark receiving a thorough application of bug spray. First one side, then he turns so I can do the other. After receiving his spray, he lowers his head so I can slip the halter off over his ears. He waits for his final peppermint treat. After savoring that, he wanders off to eat more hay from his pile.

Marvelous Mister Mark, (Mark), has been with me since he was five months old. He is now seventeen. That’s a good amount of time for us to have developed a pretty decent system for understanding and communication.

As he walks away, I admire this stunning boy in my life, from his beautiful black coat, to his powerful muscling accented by the sunlight, to his gorgeous curvy neck, large, kind eyes and fuzzy ears. Mostly, I love his kind soul.

This focused moment in time reminds me that life is what I choose it to be. Today, I choose gratitude. I am responsible for living this life intentionally. That means creating happiness for myself, and considering all the world around me. Sometimes that means one must take your scissors and, even with a cringe, cut out the bad stuff so the good stuff can flow. It’s easier when your scissors are sharp

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