Horses hold heart space like no other creature I have ever encountered. For anyone they will hold space in a profound way, and especially for one who have they have decided is worthy of their trust and their attention and their hearts. Tonight, I was radically reminded of the powerful way a horse can hold quiet, solid space even as deep emotions swirl around them. Tonight, I allowed myself to let go, trust and collapse into the heart space of a horse. I am in awe of the gift I was given.
A year ago, we could barely get near Penny, the sweet, little lesson pony who came to Avalon with clear evidence of some significant trauma having happened to her at some point in her life. She desperately wanted to connect with people. She desperately wanted to believe that the gestures of patience, love and healing were real. But it took her months and months of quietness before she stopped flinching every time someone came near her, especially around her head. It’s only been in the past three months or so that she gives into the bliss of being rubbed on her head and her ears. Now, she calls to everyone who comes near and is often the first to say hello. Her fear has turned into a trusting choice to believe that people really do want the very best for and will only shower her with love here.
Well tonight, this sweet, little thing stood with all the confidence of 100 horses as I stood with my head buried in her neck sobbing my heart out. Not only did she stand there with her heart wide open to me, she made it very clear to the other two horses in the field to back the hell off as she became my shield. They weren’t doing anything except being curious and wanting to love on me too, but for that time, I was 100% hers to breathe with and they weren’t allowed in. Considering she is one of the most gentle, forgiving, laid back ponies I’ve ever seen in a herd this was quite stunning. She quietly made it crystal clear that she was creating the heart bubble space for me to just let go and cry. That is what horses do when they show up to hold heart space for a person. Penny stood there with me hanging all over her, sobbing, and all she did was breathe. She did this even to the point of taking a huge inhalation and letting it audibly go as if to say “Lara, I have got you!! Until you can breathe deeply again, I will do it for you. Just let go as much as you need to. You are safe. You are loved. You are not alone. I am HERE!”
With all of the amazing blessings that are present in my life right now and I am deeply grateful for, emotionally I am in a very dark season of my life. The number of unresolved things from the past several years that I am becoming aware of how deep some of the hurts run is kind of stunning. One after the other they are bubbling up and out. I’ve been trying to just keep moving, not write or speak about it, and just stay focused on all of the positives. Well now, I am planning to keep moving and to stay focused on the positives, and I am also going to start writing and speaking again about what is REALLY going on for me.
I am at my very best when I am writing my truth. I am at my very worst when I am not giving myself permission to write and speak my truth but rather I allow some random (sometimes imagined) others to dictate what I should write and share. I am at my very best when I am being honest about my struggles and my pain. I am at my very worst when I try to just put on a happy face and act as if everything is ok. I am at my very best when I name my fears out loud, then breathe right through them as I bravely take my next best step. I am at my very worst when I try to act as if there is nothing to be afraid of and I just need to focus on something else. I am at my very best when I find joy in the simplest of things and share that with the world as if I have found the most amazing treasure. I am at my worst when I think the lens through which I view the world is silly or unnecessary. I am at my very, very, very best when I stay in this time and this moment and live out loud whatever is showing up for me RIGHT NOW.
Horses mirror back to us what is really and truly going on inside of us. And they bring hearts of love energy that is bigger than anything we can really imagine. Tonight, in this time and in this moment I am deeply grateful for a sweet little pony who held my heart with fierce, unwavering love. I am breathing deeper. I am opening my heart up to my most authentic journey. And I know I will not only be okay, I AM OKAY!
Lara Peterson Coaching & Creations 