Between the heat, humidity, and air quality here, not much happened this week. And with it currently being a holiday weekend that I'd like to find some time to relax during, I'm going to keep this week's recap short and sweet!
For this week's "We're Not Really Strangers" prompt, I asked my Instagram followers "How are you doing, really?"
And while that may be a simple question, so many of us are used to answering on autopilot with something like "Good" or "Fine" even if that's the furthest thing from the truth. So many people wrote in and said that they were just plain tired. And I totally get that! With another week of the Intuitive Equestrian program under my belt, I found myself totally exhausted between a group healing that was held on our live call, a couple animal energy readings I did early in the week including one with Annie, and then again after a bonus call we had from a guest speaker. All of those things drain me energetically, even though I truly love engaging in them! So when I answered the question "How am I doing, really?" I totally owned up to this exhaustion, even though I know it is all part of the process and it isn't a bad thing. It's simply something I need to be mindful of so that I don't overdo it and burn myself out.
But what this question really got me thinking about is that we expect our horses to be honest with us about how they are feeling, and yet so many of us struggle to be honest when we're asked how we are. We have been conditioned to believe that it’s better (safer) to say you’re fine and move on than it is to share how you’re actually feeling.
If your horse is clearly afraid or upset, but they're trying to mask that by telling you that they're "fine" because they are often expected to be, wouldn't you be a little concerned about the state of your relationship if you knew they clearly didn't feel safe telling you the truth about how they're feeling?
I know I'd much rather my horse be congruent in their feelings and actions, which means they also would much rather we act the same way. So next time someone asks you how you are, I hope you can find the courage to answer honestly, even if it's a little scary to be that vulnerable. You horse will be proud of you for it.
Like I mentioned in the intro, it was hot, humid, and what's even worse is that our air quality here really sucked this week due to the smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Not only was it just plain unhealthy to do anything strenuous outside if you're not compromised, but I also have asthma so I need to be extra cautious.
With that in mind, I focused on simply spending low-key, quality time with Annie this week making all sorts of deposits into our bank account. I braided her mane and adorned it with the most beautiful wildflowers early in the week. And even though the flowers fell out pretty quickly, it was super cute while they lasted!
I gave her a few good hose downs throughout the week and let her hang out in front of the fans inside to cool her off, something she really seemed to appreciate! I totally feel for those of you who deal with extreme heat, it's really nothing to mess around with. This week is looking cooler, but rainy and stormy. Either way, I'll take the cooler temps and hopefully better air quality!
Empowering Observations:
When someone asks you how you are, answer honestly. As scary as this may be, you are doing yourself no favors by masking your true feelings. You could very well be missing an opportunity to connect with the person asking by allowing them to hold space for you, or missing out on the chance that they might be able to offer you a fresh perspective. You never know unless you're honest.
Things I'm Loving This Week
Okay, so I don't know about all of y'all but I love nifty little things that help me stay organized and this towing organizer I bought for my trailer is the coolest! I love that the 7-way plug cap is built in (since I am constantly trying to keep track of mine when I take it off), it's all steel so no plastic parts to break, it's super affordable, and I love how easy it makes it to get to all of your trailer chains, cords, etc. - a major plus in an emergency!
I've been using the "We're Not Really Strangers" card game as a prompt to connect with my followers and it always brings me such great insights that I love sharing here so I figured I'd better provide a link to it! There are quite a few expansion packs for it now, too, if you love the game as much as I do. It's really such a great way to get to know anyone you know or don't, in fact I love playing with friends and family because I always learn something new about them!
Equestrian Reflection
Journal Prompt: I would secretly love to...
I would secretly love to totally let go of what everyone else thinks of me! I know we can't and shouldn't entirely let go of this, but at the same time it would be so darn freeing - and honestly I think this has more to do with letting go of what people online think of me now that I have this level of social media presence that is increasingly unfamiliar to me. I know people online can be so weird and negative and I guess I just want to let go of fearing that they will direct their stuff towards me because I simply cannot control other people and their reactions.
Affirmation: Secret desires and jealousy are indicators of elements your soul desires, explore them.
Equestrian Oracle
Theme for the Upcoming Week
Follow Your Intuition
Have you been around your horse and felt like something wasn't right? Or maybe it was the complete opposite, and you felt drawn to do something, and you followed that nudge, and it turned out to be absolutely incredible. In both of these scenarios, your intuition, your inner knowing, was guiding you.
In some cases following your intuition can feel oh so right but in other cases, it may make zero logical sense. The path you feel called to might ignite some of your fears because are you to try something different? What will others think? But they have more experience than I do? How can I trust myself?
This card is calling you to return home and connect to your inner knowing despite your fears. It is normal to have some resistance around this, but I want you to think back to all the times in the past where you did follow your gut feeling and also the times where you didn't follow it. Upon reflection, you will likely realize that every time you followed your intuition, it was always the right decision, no matter how comfortable or uncomfortable the journey to the other side was.
Now close your eyes, take a deep breath, and tune into that inner feeling. What path does your intuition want you to move towards? It's time to take the step in that direction and trust that it will all work out.
*The Equestrian Reflection and Equestrian Oracle cards are courtesy of Felicity Davies and can be purchased directly from her here. Full transparency - I receive no financial gain from sharing these, I just love them and find them to be helpful on this journey!