Lessons from Monkey...

Monkey's owner, Julia, chose him for me. After my outing last Thanksgiving, and the brutal pain I was in for three days, she wanted to give me a smoother horse. Monkey's a Paso with a smoother gate I was told. He wouldn't beat me to death when he trotted or galloped. What I didn't know, and Julia didn't either is all Monkey would remind me of on our two hour journey through one of the most beautiful horse trails Camden has to offer.

His first lesson. Always stand up straight. You look regal that way. At 5'2 it's kind of hard for me to look regal, but he let me know it really can do wonders for you. Now my mother hounded this into me from the time I was a kid, but sometimes you've got to see others do it, to truly realize it matters. Monkey reminded me it definitely does.

He also taught me that sometimes it's just plain fun to run. Monkey likes to run. He thought walking was for sissy's. Little did he know he was carrying a sissy. But by the time we got to the end of our journey, I was enjoying him running too. Too much of life is spent just existing. Running can be a joy. Run some this holiday! Live! Get out there in the middle of the mall madness. It will make it feel like Christmas! Spend some time living...You might find you enjoy it. Even if you want to hibernate and hide out, you might be surprised what is waiting for you out there in the land of the living.



He taught me to eat whenever you feel like it. Not that I needed a huge lesson on this. I pretty much have this one down pat. But if we stopped, there wasn't a branch Monkey didn't want. And if he had to carry the entire limb with him as he walked, he was fine with that. But some of my best memories are around the dinner table. Eating, laughing, talking..enjoying...Take Time this holiday season to eat. We can diet in January!






He reminded me not to get busy to take a drink water. Granted he didn't care if his was bottled. Any old puddle would do. But that sometimes we get so busy in life that the necessary things become inconveniences. Even the necessary can be enjoyed.













He taught me that it's okay if you don't want to get dirty. So, now I'm completely free of any shame of traveling with my own sheets and carrying Lysol to spray down every nook and cranny of a hotel room. If a horse doesn't want to walk through mud, then I shouldn't feel bad about it either!
He also taught me that there is always a way around a mud hole too. Even if that path means you're going to have to knock down trees along the way. I wish he hadn't decided to do this with me riding him, but hey, he has an OCD issue about dirt. But as we barreled through those trees I realized that a lot of life is spent barreling through. But you know what, we weren't covered in mud when we finally got past there. Granted my hair was full of debris but I didn't have any mud on me!

He reminded me that life is a lot more fun traveling with a partner. Because I wouldn't have had half as much fun if he hadn't been taking that trail with me. And on top of that I'd have probably looked like an idiot!
And finally he taught me that some partners won't hurt you as bad as others. Now, I'm not going to say I didn't have a catch in my giddyup, come Saturday morning. But the pain was nowhere near as bad as the year before. No one is perfect. Life will bruise you along the way. But some people are much better partners on the journey of life than others. Choose wisely. Drink deeply. Laugh loudly. And remember that "faithful are the wounds of a friend." When it's a good friend like Monkey.