Noticing the Beautiful Moments

July 23, 2012


Life’s so busy, isn’t it? Our days are full of work, play, family, friends—and it’s good to have a full life. But it’s also good to slow down once in a while to notice the beautiful moments. Summer is perfect for this, because generally life’s fast pace slows down somewhat, and you might have a little more time to look for and appreciate those moments.

I’d like to share two beautiful moments I’ve had recently with my horse, Tank. He now shares a paddock with a small group of horses during the day (he still eats and spends the night in his smaller “private” paddock). I think likes being with his new friends, all mares except for a two-year old colt. At first, I wondered how this would affect how he feels about my coming to get him. When he lived alone, he was eager to see me. Would he still whinny, come to meet me at the gate, be happy to see me? Happily, the answer to these questions is yes. One of those moments I was talking about occurred last week as I stood at the gate of the large paddock, lead rope and halter in hand. Tank left his buddies and came to me, ears pricked, expression asking, “What are we doing today?” I stood there, melting into my boots (and not just because it was 92 degrees), marveling that this lovely, powerful creature belongs to me, knows me, looks to me for attention and guidance. After owning him for eight years, I sometimes take him for granted. Every now and then, I wake up the miracle of his presence in my life.

The second moment with Tank happened on Saturday. After we tacked up, I had a few minutes to wait until the riding lesson started, so I sat down in one of the green plastic outdoor chairs clustered under the trees. Tank stood next to me, relaxed, so I began to stroke and massage his ears and poll (the top of his head). He seemed to like it, slowly blinking his eyes and lowering his head. When I stopped, he left his head low, so I leaned forward and breathed into his nostrils (one way horses greet each other). I gently touched his muzzle with my forehead while we inhaled and exhaled together. We stayed like that for a few minutes, and I don’t know about Tank, but I found this so soothing that I nearly fell asleep.

My beautiful moments had nothing to do with achievement or accomplishing a goal. For once, I put aside my jabbering mind, my busyness, and relaxed into the present moment. I want to have more experiences like this—with Tank and in all areas of my life—moments where time stands still and the to-do list falls from memory, moments in which I truly realize how lucky I am and how grateful I am for my life.

I hope that you experience beautiful moments such as these. If you feel comfortable doing so, please share them in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

You Might Also Like

10 comments

  1. Hi Kathy, this is so beautifully written ... I feel as if I were there watching you two. How nice to have such a loving friend.

    Kathy M.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Kathy. I hoped I could convey the feelings I had. I do feel I'm lucky to have a horse like Tank.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good for you - sounds like a wonderful friendship with Tank.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'd say Tank's a lucky guy and he's just sharing the love.

    Chris and I have been brainstorming together on a couple of house updates we want to make and we've been trying to come up with something creative that's not tacky. It's so much fun to let the creativity flow no matter how absurd or costly or tacky the ideas may be just to see where it will take us.

    It's fun, it's lively, and it's interaction with my favorite human all at once, and yeah, it's beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think you've given Tank the best of both worlds. He has the special relationship with you and he has his new equine friends. I used to have a horse and a pony and I feel very strongly that horses need to be with other horses, after all, they are herd animals.

    As a horse lover, I hope you'll visit Wild Horse Preservation's web site: http://www.wildhorsepreservation.org
    You don't have to send money to help, just sign the petitions to try to save these gorgeous and important animals.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Laure--That sounds like fun, knowing you two! So many of those beautiful moments come during interactions with others, be they human or animal.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Joan--I agree that horses need their herds to truly be happy. Thanks for visiting, and for sharing the link.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This post reminds me of W.H. Davies 'Leisure'.

    What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?
    No time to stand beneath the boughs and stare as long as sheep or cows.
    No time to see, when woods we pass, where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
    No time to see in broad daylight, streams full of stars like skies at night.
    No time to turn at beauty's glance, and watch her feet how they can dance.
    No time to wait till her mouth can enrich that smile her mouth began.
    A poor life this if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.

    Thanks for sharing your beautiful moments with us!

    ReplyDelete
  9. You're welcome, Michelle. And thank you for sharing that poem. How true it is.

    ReplyDelete