Scoopin' Poop

One my beautiful nieces taking Wyatt for a walk a couple of summers ago.

Horses have always been a valuable form of therapy for me.  So has scoopin’ poop…

I love what I do for a job.  I truly enjoy being a business consultant.  It’s so much fun meeting a new entrepreneur and helping him (or her) through the process of taking a quality concept through to fruition, the opening of the doors to a new life of customers and living out his passion, and seeing that person take such pride in what he does.  His new business is allowing him to live out his dreams and hopefully create a livelihood for he and his family.  But when I sit down with an existing business owner and discuss with her what specifically is going on, how I might be able to help, and often times merely lend a listening ear… that’s even more fun.  I love to make suggestions.  I love to make recommendations to help fix things.  And, I love to help those business owners discover the true underlying issues that are usually the root cause of what they called me in for.  No, I can’t help everyone.  In fact, there are business owners that I’ve literally felt like I wasn’t able to provide much of any insight to them; but I guess that’s a part of the learning process, for them and me.  But the piece that means the most to me is when I can actually make suggestions and provide ideas for improving or fixing the problem and they really work!  That business owner could then continue forward more confidently with making the next big decision for growing her business… not to mention, continuing to live out her passion for life and sharing that with her world around her.

The other half of my job is data entry, administrative catch-up that no one likes to do, trouble-shooting completely unrelated distractions that crop up, and chasing down all kinds of ideas to share with my clients.  Sometimes I think I’ve found the best solution only to realize that it’s already been tried or truly the most ridiculous idea that ever existed.  That only equates to time lost so it’s back to square one to come up with a better idea.  And most days, it feels that I’m adding more to my to “To Do” list faster than I’m crossing them off.  Those are the days, sometimes weeks, that I find myself frustrated.  Frustrated that I’m not getting anywhere, progress isn’t being made, and my head just hurts.  My mind won’t stop, it churns in my sleep, and I’m constantly thinking of how I could make it better for whatever is on my mind.

Those are the days that I head to the barn.  Those are sometimes the days that my Wyatt-horse is my only relief in sight.  And, those are the days that I pick up a pitchfork… and start shovelin’.

Here’s the thing, when I can’t seem to make progress at work or with a particular client or improve a situation in general, I can make immediate progress with a crappy stall.  I walk into a stall filled with crap.  I leave the stall and it’s clean so I think to myself, “Ahhh, a sense of accomplishment!”  It’s true.  You should try it!

Having a horse isn’t all about saddling up and going for a jaunt through the back forty.  My horse brings so much more than his mere presence.  He’s a rock that is always there.  Always waiting… and ready.  His only request is that I am forever kind and fair.  Well, second to graining him that is.  He challenges me.  Some days he can frustrate me to tears but that just means that the two of us have something to sort out.  Either he got a little cocky or I did, but we’ll get to the bottom of it one way or another.  He is the epitome and picture of raw strength.  He doesn’t have to but he is willing to set aside his innate need to be wild and powerful entirely within his own right only to trust me to take care of him.  He allowed me in only after I had first allowed him in.  A friend of mine told me the other day, “We don’t pick our horses; they pick us.”

It’s true.  That same friend’s husband who sold Wyatt to me a few years ago said to me, “You need him just as much as he needs you.”  I’m not entirely sure how he knew that, but he saw it even before I did.  That, my friends, quickly became a turning point in my life.  I will never forget what a gift my Wyatt is even when he frustrates me to tears.

So yeah, I don’t mind scoopin’ poop.  It’s a part of having him.  It’s a little reminder of how to get back to the basics and feel a true sense of accomplishment when it seems that nothing else can get done.  You see it from start to finish.  No, Wyatt doesn’t get that.  No, he never even says thank you.  He just pushes his way in to demand more grain… perhaps that is his very own form of saying, “You’re welcome!”