I was riding down the trail the other day with friends on my beloved Romeo – you know the trusted steed!! Well, he was pretty excited about the prospect of being on the trail after enduring days of very cold weather. We went directly to our old ways, which is to push on one another and argue right away as I have certain expectations of him!!
Part of my journey is continually being able to look in the mirror and try to improve on things in myself that need to change in order to have a better relationship with Romeo. Of course, we are trying to change our old ways or our “old story”!! He was ready to “get into it” and I was reminded by a dear friend that part of what I am working on is to “hang up the phone” on the conversation that is not going anywhere and to try something different. So, Romeo wanted to go into the ditch and I was trying to impose my will and stop him from going in the ditch!!! Hmmm – so I let him, the snow in the ditch was past his knees. He then decided on his own that that was perhaps not the best decision. When he came out I praised the hair off of him. Good choice my friend! A couple more times in the ditch and a couple more good decisions on his part, with no interference from me. Praise when he chose to come out. At that point, our trail-ride turned into a wonderful experience for both of us.
So what was my lesson? It is to have the ability to allow others to make their own mistakes, support them through the process and be there to rejoice in the decisions that are chosen of their own free will. At that point, relationships are built on trust and unconditional love. Another “aha” moment for me guided and facilitated by my beloved Romeo. Self-awareness and the ability to take a good look at what is not working in our lives enables us to open our heart to a different way of moving forward. As an Equine Gestalt Coach my own life lessons are so valuable and remind me that the journey is never ending; such a rich, deeply humbling experience.
Chris
June 22, 2018 at 1:04 pm (6 years ago)Hi Angie. I love this story and how I related to your words of wisdom shown to you by Romeo. You have a deeply introspective, intuitive heart and mind, and have an innate ability to pull out the metaphors and lessons from the simplest of daily experiences in a very joyful way. This story helps me understand, on a deeper level, how the Fixer (mandala) part of myself shows up, and how I too am working on letting go and not deprive others (especially my daughter :O} learn their own profound lessons from their own mistakes. Thank you for sharing this.