Love

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

~ Martin Luther King, Jr

So, I met the horses to consider for adoption through the Oklahoma Thoroughbred Retirement Program. They were all so lovely and what's more, loving. The horses I met were some of the most loving creatures and were almost like giant puppies in their willingness to seek human affection. I have been around horses my whole life and I have rarely come across such immediate devotion from these animals as these horses exhibited to me, a virtual stranger in their pastures. I was filled with joy to spend the day around horses. To know these were horses that were safe now but had been, for a large majority of them, slated for ill fates at the hands of man, but still could display such trust and warmth, was humbling. I recently read a book by Susan Richards called Chosen By A Horse, in which an ex-race horse, a Saddlebred for pacing races, was rescued by Richards and in turn saved Richards and taught her how to live and love again. The power of love is often times overwhelming. It defies reason and almost always returns. Despite horrible life experiences, we still have faith in the emotion, animals are no different. I am given strength in my faith in humans because of the wonderful women charged with caring for these rescued horses. They were sacrificial in their love and I know that there will always be this power of love in people to combat the evil of others. The key is awareness. People must know about atrocities and be given a catalyst for their love. We all have the ability to affect change, we just have to be brave and purposeful in our love to keep the wheels in motion. I am refreshed to receive this lesson in love from a field full of rescued race horses.

Writing

"There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein." ~Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith

Im here on campus writing so I've included a picture of my journalism school...

Today has been perhaps the coldest day of fall thus far and marks the descent into winter. Rain has pelted down intermittently and the wind blusters through around campus. It makes it a nice atmosphere for writing and since I am trying my hand at fiction for a class assignment it fits rather nicely. I am pondering the main character in my story. I fear I model her too much off of what I foresee in my future in both good ways and bad in terms of the toll my career aspirations could take on me. That doesn't deter me from my plans however as I am careful to not forget my convictions. This character in my story has similar convictions and I guess it lines itself with that old adage of write what you know. Well I know that I want to live boldly, even more, I want to make an impact. I know that I am not completely there in terms of what that will require of my courage or ability to write but I view the learning opportunities ahead as fated preparation. I know that I will work hard and I know that inside and out of my career I was to be able to have a full life, a life that relishes in the beauty of this world. That is the struggle for the character in the story, to embrace the beauty of the world despite all of the horrific things she has witnessed with humans and animals at the hands of evil. I am encompassing an element into the story concerning horse slaughter because the more I learn, the angrier I get and it channels into my writing. The character in my story will save a particular group of horses but I know that in this fiction scenario and in real life, there are countless other animals (and people) that desperately need help and I hope to have the strength to work to make some small impact continuous despite the immensity of the world's problems.

November

"November comes and November goes with the last red berries and the first white snows..."

So November is here and it finds me keeping up. Simply put, I am keeping up with school and work and friends. I am accomplishing all projects and responsibilities and just all around keeping up. Though I admit sometimes it is just barely. I find that my diet and workout will power is lagging and I'm not seeing as many friends as often as I did in the warmth of summer but at least, for the most part, I am staying on track.

The weather dawns colder than it did and is starting to make me fear the coming winter, but each afternoon the sun shines promisingly overhead and I am able to enjoy another day. I'll admit, I missed elections, I simply forgot what the date was until I had left my community to drive to school and in class I realized I could not get back to a voting site before they closed... part of the "just barely." Some things slip through the cracks... though it was a rather important thing that slipped this time. I will have to work even harder this month to be successful but I thrive on the deadlines in some ways.

Also, I am completely incensed with what I am learning of the abuse horses find at the hand of man. I knew it existed but I did not fathom the extent until recently of the horse slaughter that ends up being the fate of far too many magnificent animals. Sadly, I could substitute cattle or chickens and say the same thing. But with horses, I am able to adopt another one, so I am planning to do that. I hope to, in some small way, help in the efforts to save them. Later, when I am more capable I hope to do more for animals but the horse adoption or other form of rescue is my November goal.