What A Donkey Taught Me When I Was Stressed Out
When I go to Switzerland I visit my donkey friend Flo. He taught me a great lesson a few years back.
Every trip to Switzerland is filled with visits to see all my friends and family members.
Sometimes I am in such a hurry to see everyone that I forget to spend real time, quiet time with my friends and family.
This changed in 2015 when I met Flo (Florian)
He is one of my sister-in-law’s donkeys.
They have four donkeys, two horses, one mule, one dog and two cats. You can imagine that they spend a lot of time in the stables, cleaning, feeding, riding and just spending time with them all.
My sister-in-law has a degree in Horse and Donkey Assisted Therapy also called Equine Assisted Therapy.
Equine Assisted Therapy can also help with grief. Donkeys are intuitive and can tune into someones needs to support their healing process.
Her stories of healing and support are impressive. My brother studies to become a nurse practitioner and has a deep passion and love for their animals.
I was tired and exhausted.
I was glad that I had chosen to see my brother and his wife on my first weekend in Switzerland.
We had time to sit, to chat, to catch up on each other’s lives and went on a little walk with two of the donkeys.
I was given Flo because he had greeted me right away when I had stepped into the stable the day before.
I learned how to lead Flo, lovingly but with clear intentions.
Not getting distracted by his nudging on my arm or him stopping in the middle of the road was difficult in the beginning.
But then I realized.
It was quite easy when I tuned into his needs and his rhythm.
At the same time I became clear about my pace, to lead, to be clear, and to stay calm.
His gift to me was a feeling of being centered and relaxed that never left me during my whole trip.
In hindsight I realized that I spent more ‘real’ time with my friends and family because of the calm I felt.
What did Flo teach me?
To be present.
To tune into a new challenge and to adjust to the new situation.
And to be firm and loving at the same time.
All things that I knew before but just needed to be reminded of.
Ever since, I think of Flo when I need a bit of grounding, calm, and focus.
What is it that you need to be reminded of?
Want a little more help navigating your unique grieving process? Sign up for the Healing Notes that will come your way every second Sunday by email. Sign up for it right here.
