“Change is not pleasant, but change is constant. Only when we change and grow, we’ll see a world we never know.” ~From Wisdom of The Orange Woodpecker
If life has taught me anything lately its that change is inevitable. It's no longer winter, my hair is growing longer and everyday I grow older. Although we are all constantly changing, most of it is unrecognizable. But when I sit back and think about it, it feels like everything has changed within this last year. My job has changed, my house has changed, my relationships have changed, my goals have changed, and I, personally, have changed. To look back to last summer and not even recognize the person I used to be... that's a scary thought. But, here I am. Alive. Breathing. And happy as ever.
The biggest change of all has been that Sonny has found a new forever home. Although I never would have imagined selling him, sometimes things just fall into place.
When Heather first asked if I would ever think about selling Sonny, of course my first reaction was "Psht, no way!". Heather is a great friend who does Parelli with her daughter, Audrey. They recently had to sell Audrey's horse due to health issues and were on the hunt for a new one. Even though I was quick to say no, the more I thought about it the more I felt like it might be the perfect opportunity for everyone.
If you know me at all or have followed my blog, you know that Sonny is the absolute love of my life. He is my best friend, the best partner I could ask for, my teacher, my love, and my anchor. He has taught me so many life lessons and more about myself than anyone ever could. He has always been there for me, and most importantly he has always kept me calm, centered, and positive. Sonny has been the best thing that has ever happened to me and I will be forever grateful for his contributions in developing me as a person.
With that being said, it is probably hard to believe I would sell him. But after a lot of thinking and some great advice (thanks for all of your input, Melissa. Even though the distance between us has changed it's so great to know I can still count on you), I decided that it really would be great for Sonny to go live with Heather and Audrey. There are so many positives we all get out of this opportunity. Audrey now has a super safe, reliable, knowledgable partner who is going to take care of her just as much as he took care of me. He is going to teach her so much about Parelli, and more importantly about herself, just like he did for me. In return, I know Audrey and Heather are going to take fantastic care of him. He will always be treated with respect and kindness in a natural way that I have always done. I now have the opportunity to acquire a younger horse that I can do more with, like jumping and dressage. On top of all of that, Sonny will have a similar living arrangement as he did with me, except he will be in their backyard (which makes for easy access for extra treats ;)). Sonny's diet will still be balanced like I did for him and he will still have the same barefoot trimmer. Audrey will train with the same instructors as me and he will even still have the same trailer. Best of all: he will only be half an hour away and I can visit whenever I want. Does it get any better than that? I know that Heather and Audrey will take just as good of care of Sonny as I did, if not better. They will give him the love and attention he deserves, that I haven't had time for these last few months.
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| Sonny & Audrey. |
So my decision to sell Sonny isn't because of money, or because I don't love him anymore. I decided it would be the perfect opportunity for Audrey to have a new lifelong partner to learn from and for Sonny to have a cute little girl in his life to forever love and adore him. In the end, I couldn't ask for a better situation. I will obviously miss him, but I know he is in good hands and I know he is giving someone else the incredible opportunities he once gave me. I will forever love him and of course, forever consider him my anchor.
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"All you need is one safe anchor to keep you grounded
if the rest of your life spins out of control" |
