The Joy Trail
It’s been a busy week full of physically demanding jobs. My hands throb and my elbows ache. I have needed to exercise my horses and I have had to put it off for days now. I know I SHOULD go exercise them. For muscle tone. To keep their foot structure solid. To burn calories. For mental health. Because science says it’s a good thing. Because everyone else does it.
But I’m exhausted. And I also know that when I show up to Partner and Clyde feeling like I do - tired and full of SHOULDS - they don’t show any enthusiasm or willingness. Go figure!
In all honesty and authenticity, where does my joy extend in this moment? The Joy Trail ends at simply standing in Partner’s presence. So grumbling into humility, I honor that simplicity and walk out to where Partner is grazing alone in the pasture. I stand, feel my feet on the earth, and breathe in the twilight. I close my eyes and feel my heart energy expand, that spectacular magnetism reverberating ever outward. It’s thanking me for listening to my body and to my joy. After a short while, I open my eyes to see that Clyde, Carter, Loki, and Sam have all meandered over to join Partner and me. We share rejuvenating energy together under a periwinkle sky and gleaming half-moon, with dark silhouettes of the eucalyptus sentinels safe-keeping our sanctuary. The Joy Trail led here, to this perfection, more perfect and soul-filling than exercise or any “should” ever could be. If it all starts with energy, isn’t this enough, isn’t this in fact everything?
