Every Day… Choices
Owning a horse is not convenient (or inexpensive).
Every day I wake up I know I have to feed, water, clean stalls/runs, set up feed for the next day, exercise my horse's body and mind, check and prep for that night and next day’s weather, …. the list goes on. And none of this is convenient for my comfort or scheduling, because it doesn’t matter if it’s by birthday, Christmas, it's -10 and snowing, if I’m sick… or I just don’t feel like it.
Every day is a choice to follow through on the actions that are part of/connected to our life choices and the lives of those we have included in them.
When we take on another life (equine, canine, feline, … human) their wellbeing and health (mental/emotional and physical) is important. It should be a priority in our thought processes and life planning, because they rely on us. We are responsible for them.
To take on responsibility for another life means that I have to sacrifice conveniences for me in order to fulfil those responsibilities and to truly care for them.
Can you imagine if every person in our lives prioritized the mental/emotional and physical wellbeing of every other human and creature in their lives over their own comfort and convenience? What would happen to our society? The hard conversations that need to happen actually happening; but with compassion and with the intent of ensuring the integrity of true care for the other person over perception of ourselves as the real motivation behind the words.
The time taken to make the right choices for the humans/creatures in our lives, … or even deciding to not bring them into our lives because we are not in a place (mentally, physically, financially…) to be the right time or situation to bring them into.
“Oh, look how cute!!!” leads to a few months down the road behavioral/emotional issues because we didn’t set up the situation to be healthy for the personality, or breed (if an animal) that made us feel so good about ourselves when we just saw the attractive qualities vs. long-term ramifications of the inherent traits of that individual/animal. A human caught in a sedentary lifestyle assuming they can accommodate the needs of a high-energy creature, but not adjusting their lifestyle to fit. A human attracted to their “opposite” assuming they can adapt themselves to a completely different lifestyle without any feelings of confusion/resentment/irritation.
A relationship, whether between humans or in an owner to pet situation, will require some concessions and/or sacrifices. I can’t sleep in when my schedule (which pays for my horse’s upkeep and feed) requires me to get moving and get the stuff done (physical fitness, marketing for work, skill sharpening/maintenance, advancing knowledge, self-care, seeking professional assistance, …) which would make the care of my responsibilities possible. The other lives and their needs are the motivation for the positive choices we make. Not because we want the world to perceive us a certain way or because it gives us a sense of power/control. Truly caring for another life may mean our efforts might never be seen, but the wellbeing of those we love should mean more than our reputation, don’t you think?
It's not about me.
If we all cared more about the wellbeing of those we care for, more than our own comfort or convenience, what would this world look like?
“Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.” Albert Einstein