Muffin sees you.
Muffin doesn’t see labels people give to other people. Some labels we give to others can be helpful like job titles,” firefighter”, “doctor”, “schoolteacher” etc. Some labels carry shame and stigma, “junkie”, “addict”, “crazy”, “not right in the head” etc. Muffin can’t comprehend our “human” labels. She only knows who you are in the moment.
The moment. Are you happy to see a mini horse? Nervous being around a small four-footed fluffy creature? Overwhelmed with the pressures of life? Constantly plagued by chronic stress and anxiety. The list goes on, but Muffin sees you in the moment with emotions and feelings and exists with you in the space.
No judgement. Just the big brown eyes looking back at you. She sees you.
Horses as non-verbal creatures are very attuned to our non-verbal communication. With our voices; tone, cadence, rhythm. Movement, do we move freely or are we stiff, holding tension in our jaw or back from stress? Are we present in the moment? Muffin is. Much of our life is spent in the past (trying to fix what can’t be changed) or in the future (projecting what hasn’t happened) but how much is spent on the present? Right here? Right now? In the moment? There is nothing wrong with visiting the past or planning for the future, but our permeant residence should be the present.
Muffin helps remind us that sometimes being present can mean taking one breath at a time. Slowing down and tuning into ourselves, checking in with our bodies. Catching the little things before they become big things. Headaches can turn into chronic migraines. Bouts of anxiety can develop into panic attacks. Problems typically don’t happen overnight but slowly manifest until its reaches “mission critical” and must be dealt with.
Tying it together.
The power in the work we do with Muffin (and Mila) is being present, allowing individuals to be heard and being in the moment no matter how big or small, hard or easy, happiness or sorrow.
Remember to enjoy what is typically considered “better” parts of life (joy, peace, excitement, etc. ) you must be able to feel the not so great parts (sadness, pain, disappointment, etc.). When you lose the ability to feel the “hard” things, normally the “good” things slip away.
We need both.
Stay present.
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