I grew up around horses. Mom wanted to have a horse, so we moved into a horse-friendly North Valley neighborhood of Albuquerque when I was six years old. A corral was constructed in our backyard and a small pasture fenced in so a half-Arab, half-Quarter Horse gelding named Poco Biernatt could join the family.
I remember watching Mom take riding lessons, going to the State Fair and other local shows when she competed in English and Western equestrian competitions, and eventually doing the same myself. There were two or three horses at the house next door too, along with Silver, a Shetland pony that eventually joined Poco on our side of the fence so my younger siblings could also learn to ride. The joke around the family was that Mom was into horses, Dad was into trains, and they each just tolerated the other’s hobby. (That wasn’t really true, but we have a grand total of one single photo of Dad on Poco…!)
These memories came back to me on Saturday when I visited Equinimity here in Tucson for the first time. I went there because my friend and client Kathy Sawyer used to work with them and was doing a Book of iiwii reading there. I’ve read about the kind of work that Equinimity does to uphold human equanimity (and I love the play on words!). Their horses and handlers support body-sense healing of relational trauma in ways that traditional science might dismiss but seem increasingly real to me.
In fact, as I think about how we maintain our equanimity in the face of national upheaval and likely recession, I think of a lesson we heard on Saturday. Evidently, horses don’t hold on to embodied stress responses the way humans do. They will respond appropriately to stressful situations, including fleeing the scene if there’s real danger (a coiled rattlesnake) as opposed to an unexpected surprise (a suddenly slammed car door). Once they’ve understood and addressed what happened, they are able to release the adrenaline from their system and return to a state of relative calm.
So, what or who supports your equanimity? Could you benefit from spending time absorbing equanimity from a herd of horses? I invite you to discern and seek out ways to release and relax in your own life during these challenging times.
I enjoyed reading your post today, Shirin. Thank you , as I see it as TIMELY in today’s stressful world. I began Piano Lessons at age 9 and have played the piano my entire life. It provides me with the EQUANIMITY I need in today’s world; and has been my VITAL SOURCE of EQUANIMITY throughout my life. I have frequently referred to playing the piano as “MY LEGAL OPIUM”…..!!!!
You’re most welcome, Francesca. I love the idea of playing the piano as legal opium! I pray that we may all find our version of that, not in the sense of losing touch with reality but in enabling us to endure and stay present with and to others within it….
Peace,
Shirin
I, too, enjoyed reading this post, and I love picturing you growing up around horses there in Albuquerque, Shirin! There was a horse pasture right behind the house I grew up in Phoenix, but before long, urbanization took it away. Like Francesca, playing the piano is one of my retreats from the craziness of today’s world. And I, too, give thanks to my parents for those piano lessons that started in childhood. Little did they know (or maybe they did) how much that would be appreciated in our adulthood!
I’m so glad this post took you to some good memories of childhood, horses, and the piano, Aston, and I’m very glad the piano still gives you blessings. Music can be such a gift…there are definitely pieces of music that rise to bless and reground me during challenging times.
Peace,
Shirin