Desiderata

Desiderata
by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others, even dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater
and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love for in the
face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in
sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself
with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue
and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace with your soul.

With all its shams, drudgery,
and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.

Strive to be happy.

Companion Ponies

I can't tell you too much about the Shetland pony named Little Katie and how she saved the life of a giant Hanoverian gelding named Nick, because their complete story is told in the sequel to my middle grade novel, The Tugboat Chronicles. But I want to make a point about the value of companion ponies, and show how there really is a job for any horse.

For a variety of reasons, Nick, a former event horse, was in a deep depression when I first met him. He was a mere shell of the one time gorgeous 17H show horse, and lived in a stall by himself.

Little Katie is a tiny Shetland pony whose career has been spent meeting children in classrooms, making nursing home visits, and keeping lonesome horses company. Little Katie is so small she could walk right underneath Nick without her back brushing against his belly. But when we decided to put the two of them together in the same stall, Nick's life turned around and he slowly began to get better.

I have a friend who donated her un-ridable horse to a hunt club who put his quiet nature to good use teaching the hound puppies how to manage themselves around a horse. Another person donated her horse to a therapeutic riding program, and he is now giving intellectually challenged kids and adults the opportunity to explore the world of horses. And yet another well loved barrel racer whose leg injury meant she could never be ridden again, went to live in the backyard of a wheelchair bound former equestrian as her companion.

Peoples spirits are lifted, lives are changed, hope is regained and loneliness abated by the presence of a horse or a pony. Other horses who need companions make faster recoveries when allowed to live as nature intended, in the company of other equines. Although it might take a little time to find just the right place for a horse in need of a new job or place to retire, there are opportunities out there.

If you aren't sure how to find a home for your horse, start by contacting your state university agriculture department. If your community has a therapeutic riding program, find out if they are in need of horses. Or, type "where to donate a horse" into a search engine and you will have hundreds of organizations to contact.

A good resource for information and to be sure you are donating your horse to a reputable organization is the Equine Protection Network. Another favorite is Habitat for Horses, sponsored in part by Willie Nelson and his daughter, Amy.