It's "Mindful" Monday

This weekend's "Mindful" moment . . . was about "grief" for me.

You see . . . one of my horses passed away . . . very unexpectedly.

Now . . . I know to some . . . this was just an animal . . . but to me . . . Smokey was one of my favorites.

We "rescued" him 10 years ago at the age of 8 . . .

He had been severely abused and was scared of "everyone". No one wanted him . . . because no one could catch him.

But to me . . . he was just a lost soul that needed unconditional love.

After bringing him home to Miracle Meadows . . . it took me months to win his trust and his love. But it was so worth the challenge because he became the most loyal and loving horse I've ever owned.

He looked at me . . . as his protector . . . his provider . . . his "person" . . .

When we'd go for trail rides . . . "he" knew . . . he could trust me to guide him . . . and "I" knew . . . I could trust him to always keep me "safe".

So how did I use "mindfulness" to ease my loss???

Well . . . using "mindfulness" with "grief" is not intended to "diminish" the pain associated with loss . . . but rather to "acknowledge" the pain and to face it head on . . .

You see . . . the body takes "more" energy to "avoid" grief . . . than to let ourselves experience "grief".

And ways to practice "mindful GRIEVING" are this:

Acknowledge and accept your feelings

Express yourself

Know you're "not" alone

Get "unstuck" from the situation

And tell your story

"Acceptance" in "mindful" context means . . . that even when the unthinkable happens . . . we honor our self and our experiences with dignity and kindness

Rather than turn our back on our "own" suffering . . .

And as we know . . . whether we loose a loved one . . . like when my dad passed 6 months ago . . . or one of our fur babies like Smokey today . . .

"Loss" . . . is still "loss" . . . and we must acknowledge the "grief" to move forward in life.

My dad always said . . . "everything dies at some point . . . it's what makes the world go round".

But it's the survivor's duty to live on . . . holding those memories . . . and being strong for ourselves and others.

So I sat with the other horses . . . as they said their goodbyes to Smokey . . . and with this . . . all my "mindful" senses took hold.

I could see one of the horses was too scared to go up to Smokey . . . in the fear of the smell of death.

So I went to her . . . and gave her comfort.

Another said her goodbyes . . . and then came to me for consoling love and affection

And when my alpha said goodbye . . . he immediately picked his head up high and looked at me with the biggest eyes I've ever seem on him . . . as if to say . . . what the HELL just happened here?

Seeing the vulnerability of the horses allowed me to be vulnerable myself.

You see . . . being "vulnerable" means . . . being able to be open . . . allowing your heart to respond when something devastating occurs.

And the only true way to be "vulnerable" is by practicing "mindfulness"

I was not only able to help myself with my loss . . . I was totally aware of the needs of the other horses.

Because they . . . were "grieving" also.

So today I honor one of my most favorite horses . . . Smokey . . .

He will be truly missed and loved forever!

Now . . . this week we'll be moving forward and talking about the "pancreas" . . . so don't miss this important information.

As always, feel free to DM or contact me at: miraclemeadows.net/contact/