Stress! navigating out of it:

I have had an unusual    time this past year and have observations that should be shared.

My Mother was hospitalized with heart failure May of 2011 and I stayed that week with her in the hospital! I brought her home with me and after 6 months, we set up a home for her here and we care for her - as naturally as possible. Her last check up with the cardiologist found her heart to be much improved!

While sleeping in a chair and bringing the potty to my Mom and using the Ladies' room at the cardiac ward, I discovered something profound. Our urine had a distinctive odor (and many of those using the Ladies' left that lingering scent). Now this may seem an odd topic, but bear with me! I am going somewhere important, I promise.

This was a very specific odor that I had not encountered and it was not from medications because my own urine possessed it as well. It was STRESS. And that made total sense. After my Mom came home to Jer & me, her urine changed to normal. Mine did not. In time, the stress odor dissipated and I was "normal" again. Then came the time to work with the ETZ and the county to get a home up here for my Mom and Brother and to sell their property. The stressed urine returned for me.

When all was done and we were a whole family here, things became more normal for me until March when I started working to re-finance this property to pay a balloon (& if that did not work out, we would lose the property!). Guess what returned! These circumstances have convinced me of the reality of odors produced by stress - subtle ones and blatant ones - and we all know that animals perceive more acutely than we do with all of their senses.

We are walking sirens (olfactory speaking) to the animals! If I was perceiving this in public restrooms at the hospital and at home fluctuating with stressors, the horses and dogs in our lives must have daily information from us "right in their faces", so to speak.

By considering this and with MUCH work on my own health and emotions, I have peddled my way out of the mire of fear and doubt (and we signed the papers with the bank Friday - 5 days before the balloon is due) and I SWEAR my animals are aware of this.

I'm sharing really personal stuff here, but it is because I know we are all facing our own challenges and we are all doing the best we can in each moment.

All this is meant to illustrate the ways in which we are dynamic, vibrating beings with choices and strengths we sometimes forget, but can tap (literally, I used EFT, tapping to help) into when we remember that we are not victims unless we choose to be. And being aware that the dogs, cats, horses, etc. in our lives are tuned in to our emotional and mental states, we likely can better understand their behaviors when we are feeling stress, loss, fear, and the like.

We simply must accept and love ourselves.

This became an important part of my stress reduction - and even though I once was Director of a Zen Center and taught meditation, I had lost myself in those days of panic and confusion.

It took friends and family to remind me of who I really was and to re-direct my thoughts at first. Literally, as I became calmer and more cheerful, the circumstances in my life became more positive and solutions revealed themselves.

I still have a LOT to do. As I tidy up my mind and my office and my tackroom, I recognize the thoughts that created the chaos. I also recognize the efforts my horses were making to heal me. We must pay attention to them! Majic was always standing in my way when I was mucking - he was trying to hug me and making me hug him. His instinct is to give solace and connect deeply when we are hurting!

Hank kept playing with things to get my attention and nuzzling my hat, my hair, my pockets as if saying "be here now"!

Our animals know when we are suffering. We are transparent to them!

I lost some time with my family of humans and horses and dogs because I wrapped myself up in tension, fear and I disconnected from a sense of my own strength. I will not do this again.

Thanks for listening! I hope your own challenges are solving themselves in brilliant, shining ways!
Katharine,
Dharmahorse, The Natural Path To Horses