The 2020 pandemic afforded me time to look back at my life and contemplate the happiest times of days gone by. I dusted off this memory because it reminded me that you can be content in the smallest of things. I am sure you are thinking that this is a weird minimalist post, but bear with me. I promise it will be worth the read.
I was a four year old who received a red Shetland pony and before you jump to the conclusion of spoiled little girl, let me assure you it was far from that. The acquisition of the pony was a debt my father owed from a bar tab or something equivalent. Taking this pony ultimately paid the debt. This was not a love gift it was a pony with price, but no matter what the reason, I loved that little red pony. The name bestowed on the pony was Red because to a four year old that only made sense.
I would head down to the barn and place a bucket on top of the salt lick so I could climb up on her back. I believe Red recognized that I was little and would stay a still as she could. I know that if my mother was aware of what I was doing she wouldn’t have been pleased. I would just lay on Red’s back and tell her all my cares and concerns of the day. The smell of the barn and Red were enough to let me drift off to sleep while on her back, and yet she never moved. My listening buddy, when no one would listen to the little four year old who had lots to say.
What does this have to do with minimalism?
A lot actually.
- Quiet moments are actually the loudest in learning
- The simplest times can have the biggest impact
- Lose the mind clutter and gain clarity
- The most impactful times are not always loud
Time stood still the day that I ran down to the barn full of conversations for Red. The stall was empty, it is a wound that still lingers in my heart to this day. They sold my pony and probably on the same premise she was acquired. I remember the tears flowing freely asking God why did you let them take my best friend without a goodbye? My heart slowly healed with the help of many barn cats and a dog.
My parents divorced and we had to move in with my uncle for a bit while my mom got back on her feet. I was having a hard time adjusting to my new school environment. I was bullied incessantly and tormented every day, so I would come home and decompress as best a 6th grader could. I coped with this agony by just sitting outside and looking out over the field behind the house. I was looking over the field one afternoon and saw movement. I got up and climbed through the barbed fence into the field and was surprised to see three ponies. One looked very familiar so I shouted her name, Red, and she looked right at me and made a beeline for me. It was my pony that I had grieved for and she was standing right in front of me. Red knew me and that is all my inner four year old needed to be healed. God showed up big that day and bound up a huge wound.
The word debt in the beginning of this post refers to something owed, but debt also can mean a feeling of gratitude for a service or favor. I am now 55 and when I think about Red, I am instantly ported back to four year old me and I am forever in her debt for the gift of compassion, empathy, tolerance and love that I carry with me always.
Lessons I learned from a little red pony
- If you can’t reach a goal ~ use the bucket
- The simplest things in life have the greatest impact
- Live in the moment
- A little red pony can teach you that just listening is one of the most important skills to possess
- Stillness is good for the soul
- The louder the silence the more we hear
“Gratitude makes sense of the past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie
Making of a Minimalist 