Everything seemed fine until about 4:30 yesterday afternoon. Then he started pacing the fence line. Back and forth, he’d walk about 30 feet, then pivot and walk 30 feet from where he just came, and so forth. Occasionally he’d do a hurried walk for a few steps, then back to normal, then the turn, and so forth. Even from my kitchen, I could see his coat getting darker with sweat. He wasn’t panicky — just fretting.

Finally Missy walked over to where he was pacing, and he wandered to another part of the pasture. He pretended to graze, then moved around, then grazed, then just stood there looking at Missy. She looked at him in her, “Don’t start that again” look, and he dropped his head to pick at a weed. 

What caused that horse to go from relaxed to worrying? Why did he only walk the fence line, and not out in the middle of the pasture? Was it his normal dinnertime and he was afraid no one would feed him? We can only guess, but I do think that Missy’s matter-of-fact way helped him to get himself together.  She didn’t pick at him or threaten him. She merely occupied the pacing territory with her a solid “get yourself together” demeanor.

The ironic part is that I identified with both horses. I’d had a busy weekend, a lot of company, and was fretting. Nothing was actually wrong, and I wasn’t angry with anyone. I wasn’t in the path of a hurricane, nor was I in danger of getting in trouble. But I was agitated and restless, and had I been a horse, I’d have been pacing the fence.

Instead, I was washing dishes, which is always a good way to process your emotions. So on the one hand, I was the new horse, churning through my feelings. On the other hand, I was Missy, telling myself to knock it off.

I am extremely grateful for my blessings, and really enjoyed preparing a big meal and having a full house. I have a big week ahead, and on some level, I guess I was gearing up for it. It’s anybody’s guess. But like that chestnut horse, it was up to me to get myself un-upset. 

As I continued washing up and arguing with myself, I eventually started to laugh. Looking out the window, I could see that the owners across the street were at the fence, feeding the horses carrots. All seemed well with the world. Maybe I should have put some carrots in the salad.