A Quiet Barn: Better Than a Tranqulizer

On Thanksgiving eve, I had to make an extra trip back to the barn to do something I forgot to do. Of course. The busier I am, the more it seems I have to get done and the more stressed I become. And the more stressed I am, the more likely I am to forget something. Holidays . . . Good grief! It’s a season of frenzy.

So, my mind was on overload, and I forgot something. I had been thinking about what I still needed to get done for the big dinner the next day when I put the horses in and fed them. Now, I wasn’t in a good mood. It was my own fault, but I was just plain bitchy.

I left the dogs at the house, as I was in no mood to deal with their “nonsense.” They had enjoyed playtime in the barn just a half hour before when I went up to the barn the first time that night. So I stormed up to the barn by myself.

I pulled open the barn door and stepped inside. Immediately, my mood changed. My stress vanished. The horses were munching hay. They looked up at me then went back to their hay. The barn was beautiful. Quiet. Unrushed. Warm. Inviting. Full of love. I just stood there and took it all in. I became relaxed. I was revitalized.

I’d never experienced such an abrupt change of mood. It was as if the “barn gods” knew what I needed and made sure I got it. 

I completed the task I had to do and then paused one more time, just to look around and take it all in again. I returned to the house in a very happy mood, full of even more reasons to give thanks the next morning.

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