I mean that. Fear has no useful purpose. Oh, some would say that fear teaches us not to stick our hands into the campfire - but it is AWARENESS that keeps us safe around dangerous things. Fear actually creates dangers... or it draws them to us. Last night a big thunderstorm rolled in. It was our first storm since Rafiki's arrival (our new gelding). The wind was blowing, so I left fly masks on until it started raining (settling the dust) when Jer said we should remove them. The horses were hopping around and playing as the cold rain hit them (they all have their own roofs - just often choose not to use them). And Rafiki bumped the electric fence, leaped in the air and ran to me, shaking. He's a big horse. He stopped right in front of me and I realized he was scared (I had a moment of "Yikes" and had to trust his kindness and agility). I pulled his mask and hugged him and he relaxed some. So did I. Since the rain was cold and he has no "fuzz" nor fat, I loaded some Timothy into his feed tub and the chewing calmed him; the digesting warmed him. I said a little prayer in my heart for gentle, soaking rain and for the lighning to remain in the distance. We had a good night. Rafiki is so happy this morning - the ground is damp, the air is clean and cool. When we get frightened (People or horses), we hold our breath and go into "fight or flight". To subdue the fear, we can BREATHE and replace that fear with awareness - this is how we can train ourselves to stay safe!
