From the mouths of dogs and horses...

Someone very dear to me recently said he was thinking of starting a blog. Of course, I became very excited and had all sorts of ideas, because blogs are right up my alley! Then I listened to what he was really saying...he was thinking of starting a blog that would be written from Blackie's perspective. Blackie's wisdom amassed through the years, the way Blackie would see things and how she might change the world. The odd thing is...Blackie is a dog.

My friend also has extensive experience raising horses, and has such an obvious love for these stately animals that it is a joy to listen to him talk about the years he has spent with them. It is interesting to me the way he so easily understands a horse's emotions, their fears or hesitations, the driving forces behind their innate behaviors, what makes them tick. Why will some horses run right through a fence, while others are content to graze and enjoy the sun inside an enclosed pasture...why will some horses affectionately nuzzle your neck and nicker, while others will just as quick spin and throw a kick that could remove your head from your shoulders in one clean blow? My friend just knows...he knows the heart of a horse and he sees value in the thoughts of a sweet little dog.

Some people are just like that...perceptive. They seem to pay attention to the world around themselves more than the rest of us, catching details that most of us miss and realizing the importance of small things. I want to be more like that. It seems to me that most horses, unless you hurt them first or give them some reason to not trust you, will usually choose your friendship. Most dogs are the same way...loyal, affectionate, always seeking a way to please the one on whom their faithfulness rests. Perhaps my friend learned these traits from the four-legged folks he has treasured through the years. Maybe his long walks with Blackie embedded patience and kindness into his heart and left it there to grow until it spilled over to other people. Long nights attending the arrival of a new foal may have shown him the committed care of a parent for her offspring and developed an unshakable respect for the miracle that life truly is. With all of his education and valuable training, perhaps the most beautiful traits in his character were born of the wisdom of these creatures penetrating his being and sharing their positive instinctual elements with his own genetic code.

In light of all this, I guess I really shouldn't be surprised that the idea of writing a blog from Blackie's viewpoint crossed my friend's mind. Think about it: If we could hear the thoughts and perceptions of a being who sees the world every day through eyes that are not jaded with cynicism, not pre-programmed to defensiveness, who has no idea what sarcasm even is, who is genetically wired to give their all in support of the ones they love...if we could listen to the advice of such an entity, what might we learn? I also should not be startled when my friend relates examples of horse behavior to everyday situations we all face. How humbling to realize  that a creature with no power of forming verbal words, who cannot put pen to paper to leave a legacy of phrases for future generations, can teach me so many things that I do not know.

I guess I'll just look forward to hearing what my friend...er...um...what Blackie says next.