Creating Brave Relationships.

Authentic connection is both empowering and liberating. Connection fuels life and feeds intimacy, joy, empathy and love. It energizes and expands our worlds both internally and externally. Connection also drives us to want to develop and to maintain equity in our relationships. Sadly this is absent in many relationships.

What do I mean by equity?

If we are brave enough to look at it, we know deep down that to have a truly workable, satisfying and happy relationship requires contribution, fairness, self-sacrifice, a give and take based on mutual respect and an understanding that we are not exactly alike. BOTH parties getting their unique needs met, feeling valued, loved and respected. This does not mean in exactly the same way, that would be equality not equity. As humans we are all individuals and have DIFFERENT needs, values and priorities.

To clarify, this does not mean our version of what the other person needs! We do not get to decide if it's working for the other party just because we want to believe that it is! We would instead make sure that they have what THEY need to achieve and maintain health, well-being and happiness. We can operate purely from our viewpoint but that is not going to open to us the possibility of experiencing authentic connection.

So, self analysis time....

Now let's get to how that relates to horses. Horses have their own needs, values and priorities. They are not like us, they are their own uniquely designed living being, and we need to get present to what this actually means to really be with them in a way that works for THEM.

Are we ready to get really honest about what's going on for us? Here is where it gets interesting as we look at what is really there for us. Take a moment to consider what your core values are...Then ask yourself, What role do horses play for me? Do I understand what it is that this animal actually needs? Or am I deciding that the horse is "happy" or "comfortable" based on MY values, MY needs?

It takes access to a different viewpoint to open our eyes sometimes to how it really is for someone else, for something else, another living creature...It takes courage to be willing to "step over" into their experience of the world and see what it's like from their view....