On Sunday I’m adopting two mini donkeys. They have been with their people for 20 years and I hope it doesn’t create too much upheaval for any of us.
When I heard about them, I was wondering how Patty was going to take spring when she will not be allowed to go out to pasture because the grass has too much sugar content and it appears that she may be susceptible to laminitis.
When I talked to the man with the donkeys, he mentioned that they keep coyotes away. I had seen a coyote cross my driveway one day when I was coming home. After talking about how the donkeys keep them at bay I heard them for the next few nights, and they sounded close. Also, during this time one of my mares came in with scratches on her hip that appeared to be from a large cat. Now I was even more uneasy. This was a deciding factor in adopting the donkeys.
Since hunting season has started it sounds like there are hunters on the land behind my trees. Dalila is very sensitive to noise and doesn’t even want to go outside. If she does (or I make her) she stays annoyingly close to me. She has faith that I’ll protect her from the noises. When she’s in the house her preference would be to stay in the basement. I’m not sure where that is in the basement, I suspect that it might be in the shower as the last time I left and had a ranch sitter she found her in the shower during a storm. I guess she has found her safe space.
When I go into protection mode I withdraw. It’s what I learned when I was young. Withdraw and get small so people don’t notice you. This works as long as you can withdraw from a situation without repercussions.
I have a hard time initiating phone calls. Sometimes emails and texts can be difficult as well. I don’t want to feel like I don’t know what I’m expressing. Like I’m not smart enough. So, I withdraw. I get prickly like a porcupine in defense mode. It’s an area that holds me back in life and business. It can be so frustrating these days with all the robots we have to go through when calling companies. I pick up the phone because I want to talk with a person, not a machine. Or there’s the quick customer service call that can take three hours. Enough already – not only do I not want to make the call now I have to either go through a robot and/or be on the phone for hours.
When I was growing up phone calls were a big deal in our house. My dad was one of two and then the only doctor in town and this was how he was reached. We learned from a young age how to take messages for him. We also learned from a young age that when the phone rang, he might have to drop everything to go to the hospital. At the very least he would leave for a bit to take the call. This is probably why I am better than a lot of people at ignoring calls when I get one from an unknown number. I didn’t have that luxury growing up.
As I write this, I’m healing some of my issues around making calls as I often do when I write. I think I’ll go out and let it sink in with the horses.
Do you have things you want to run from? Do you want to find out the reason behind your reactions? Let’s explore it with the horses. Click the link below to schedule a free exploratory call.
What do you have in your life that you feel you were Born To Run from?
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Onward!
