You may not remember this but I have been writing, though both slowly and sporadically since taking on the position of Canadian Coach/ Technical Advisor, a book I lovingly call, “Words That Start With An ‘F’”.  This is most definitely a long-term project ( unless I can find a good ghost writer, that is) but today I thought I would show you an excerpt from the chapter titled, “Fragile”.

When we are young, we really don’t at all get just how fragile life is on many different levels.  We tend to think we are invincible and will live forever, even though I, like so many kids, had grandparents who were already deceased by the time I was born.  I just couldn’t grasp the meaning of this.

What changed everything for me and a generation of guys my age was the advent of AIDS.  Who could have imagined that love and sex could be deadly before we understood exactly what HIV was?  I watched as boys and young men were ravaged by this awful disease with absolutely no way to cure it or ease its symptoms, and these were not wild and promiscuous people most of the time.  They were just friends who were dating and had no clue that unprotected sex could bring them anything worse than something which, at the very worst, could be cured by antibiotics.  Thank GOD modern medicine has produced drugs which are very successful at controlling HIV, but make no mistake - the side effects of the drugs are not fun for people who take them and safe sex is the very best option if you are sexually active.

Life with horses is a true lesson in fragility as well.  How can an animal which is able to access such enormous power, surmount incredible obstacles, and just plain cope with unthinkable hardships under some circumstances,  be so easily susceptible to dying from colic or founder.  On the one hand they are so strong and yet so fragile and indeed helpless in the next instant.  It always make me pause when I think I want another horse (which I really do).

And finally I want to talk for a minute about how emotionally fragile we are and how sometimes others just simply forget that, especially since the Internet became such an easy place for us to write our opinions about anything and anyone.  So many times I try to remind people in and out of the horse world that “Internet graffiti” can do untold harm to others who are mostly just trying to get through life the best way they can, just like we are.  I have heard of too many people recently who actually took their own lives because they just ccouldn’t cope with their lives anymore and felt death would actually be a relief from their personal torment.  We can never know exactly what is going on the minds of others or exactly how fragile they are at any given moment.  What we can and should do is try to put ourselves in their shoes before we write or say something which turned around and said about us would clearly be hurtful to us and cause us emotional pain.

All of life is precious and more fragile every day.  Please take care of yourself, your loved ones (both two and 4 legged), and our planet - physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Thank you very much!

RD