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Farewell to Jake

  • Nov 26, 2014
  • 3 min read

My remarkable therapy horse Jake has been my co-therapist for 16 years. He was five when I bought him. I almost didn’t consider him because I thought it would be crazy to use a five year old as a psychotherapy horse. Thankfully I was convinced to try him. The first thing I noticed was the white tear that seems to roll down from his blue eye through the black marking on his face. That tear, and his soulful character stole the hearts of many children and adolescents.

He has been a brilliant partner who has guided my therapy clients towards insight and healing in a way that I could never have done alone. However, recently he pulled his meniscus and needs to be retired. He’ll be going down to Missi Cool’s farm, Honeysuckle Hill, in Tennessee with his best friend and retired therapy pony Orion. Both Jake and Orion helped many children, and a few adults. I’m very sad to say goodbye, but Missi has 55 beautiful acres down there, and a herd of horses they will love to join.

It would be selfish of me to keep Jake here at Bear Spot even though I’m not sure I can bear not seeing him out in his paddock each day.

Here is my farewell to Jake:

Ode to a Therapy Horse: Jake

Many Ode’s begin with Thou,

And certainly “Thou” is the proper pronoun here

Buber would agree.

Keat’s Urn was frozen in time,

But of course you are not,

Time wears on,

We get old together,

And you deserve rolling acres of green grass

And a herd of horses that pull you

Close.

You carried many a child’s woes,

Adults’ imbalances, their unbearable anxieties,

Painful stories, celebrations,

Oppressive sadnesses,

Like a donkey, burdened by human need,

Human baggage so high, protruding over your sides, and

Towering over your back,

You carried more than your share.

So much. So many.

And you did it as though it was no weight at all,

Offering gifts for each human,

Like the mirrors in great literature,

They saw themselves more clearly through you,

More honestly.

And, almost all of them fell in love with you,

As they learned to speak to you,

You spoke to them

And showed them themselves.

Truth.

The child who despised herself

Lines of scars from cutting deep into abhorrent skin,

She saw her skin through your fur,

And learned to touch again,

Feel her glistening coat through yours.

The teen who found her existence elusive,

And could find no reason

She should exist in the world.

You laid your head on her shoulder,

Rested it there,

And showed her how real she was.

The adult who endured so many medical traumas,

Weighed down by memories of physical pain,

Terrifying procedures,

And the attempt to face the

Incomprehensible.

You carried all of that,

And told her to leave those stories with you,

And go on,

So she could give her gifts to others.

The child who had no self

Who couldn’t get to school,

Who couldn’t get out of bed,

Who couldn’t make a friend,

Who couldn’t eat,

Who couldn’t sleep,

You carried all of them.

And more.

You carried me.

As we both walked and listened.

And went round and round.

Me attached to you through a line,

A gesture,

Shoulder to shoulder.

Beauty.

I am ever grateful.

Thank you Jake.

 
 
 

4 Comments


dosas19075
Feb 10

En cherchant à mieux comprendre les différences entre les offres IPTV disponibles en France, je me suis vite rendu compte que beaucoup de contenus restaient superficiels et peu ancrés dans l’usage réel. Au fil de mes comparaisons et de mes propres tests, je suis tombé sur Comparatif IPTV France par Ecran Moderne exactement au moment où j’essayais de faire le tri entre stabilité, compatibilité et qualité de diffusion. La lecture m’a permis de mettre en perspective certains problèmes que j’avais rencontrés auparavant, notamment selon les appareils utilisés. Cela m’a surtout aidé à aborder le sujet avec plus de recul et moins d’attentes irréalistes.

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dosas19075
Feb 10

J’ai pris le temps de revoir ma façon de choisir mes sous-vêtements après plusieurs essais peu convaincants sur différentes marques, surtout sur la tenue dans le temps et le confort au quotidien. En comparant mes habitudes d’achat et ce que je portais réellement semaine après semaine, je me suis rendu compte que certains détails faisaient toute la différence comme la coupe ou la sensation sur la peau. En creusant un peu, je suis tombé sur Sous-vêtements homme chez Mariner Underwear au milieu de mes recherches et ça m’a permis de mieux situer ce que je recherchais vraiment. Cette réflexion m’a surtout aidé à être plus attentif à ce que je porte sur la durée, et pas uniquement à la première impression.

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dosas19075
Feb 10

J’ai découvert ce site un peu par hasard en cherchant à comprendre comment certaines entreprises au Maroc structurent leur visibilité en ligne sans tomber dans des recettes toutes faites, et la lecture m’a surtout aidé à remettre de l’ordre dans ma propre réflexion. À mi-parcours de mes recherches, je suis tombé sur https://rhillane.com/agence-seo-maroc-referencement-naturel/ et j’ai pris le temps de comparer les approches évoquées avec ce que j’avais déjà testé ailleurs. Ce qui m’a marqué, c’est la cohérence globale entre la partie technique et la logique de contenu, sans chercher à surcharger d’explications inutiles. En fin de compte, ça m’a surtout permis de mieux comprendre pourquoi certaines actions donnent des résultats sur le long terme et d’autres non.

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dosas19075
Feb 09

Avec le temps, je fais plus attention aux endroits où l’on peut réellement se poser sans avoir l’impression d’être pressé ou noyé dans l’agitation. Certains lieux perdent vite de leur charme après une ou deux visites, mais ce n’est pas le cas ici. En parcourant le site de Lily billy, j’ai retrouvé cette même atmosphère posée qui explique pourquoi l’expérience reste agréable même après plusieurs passages.

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