Saying Goodbye to a Way of Life

Rocky Landing

With the advent of Covid-19, most Americans will likely find life different in the near future - and maybe forever.

I'm no different than most Americans, although I will confess that I think the reaction to the virus has been a bit overblown; however, let me hasten to add that I'm not a doctor, scientist or other health professional. Still...

As for my own life there are other major changes. For starters, after being pummeled by my mule about 6 weeks ago I found myself in the emergency room being radiated by a Cat Scan and ex-rays. Unable to sleep on my left side, sneeze, or laugh without gripping my side in agony, I made the decision to hang up my spurs. (To be honest, I made this decision as I painfully got up from the ground.) After over 30 years of owning horses and mules, I had no hesitation. In the past I mounted back up when I had a spill - I'd done so several times. Not this time.  My love affair with riding abruptly ended when I hit those rocks.

Am I sad or grieving? I feel very bad that somehow I failed with my mule. I tried for nearly 4 years to make a go of it with her, but we were just not a good match even though the mule trader from whom I bought her raved about her safety and fine qualities. Did he lie? I'll never know, but I suspect he was not exactly truthful about a few things. Anyway, it doesn't matter at this point, I guess.

Other than feeling like a failure with the mule, I am not at all unhappy. In fact, as a friend pointed out, we now have a new chapter opening in our lives. WE CAN ACTUALLY GO PLACES AND NOT HAVE TO BOARD THE MULES. Boarding animals is expensive. Keeping shoes on them is expensive. Feeding them is expensive. Vet bills can be expensive. Horse/mule trailers are expensive and in AZ we go through tires quickly due to the heat. So many times we've passed up opportunities to take off on the spur of the moment because of the pesky question: who is going to feed the mules while we're gone? Or we've come back early to feed.

We can stay up north longer in the hot Arizona summer months because we won't need to use a

thousand or MORE dollars of our meager vacation fund to pay for boarding the mules.

I loved this mule. She didn't particularly love me. She was unpredictable to the point that I started wearing a helmet two years ago. Good decision. I landed on my head, face, ribs and left leg with a splat on a rock pile.

However, despite my "senior -citizen" age and the height from which I was sent soaring, I only broke one finger! Probably got it tangled in the reins. I am so fortunate! And I'm thankful every day for that.

I now have much more time to promote the JUST ONE THING Alliance, market our publications, hike and ROW, ROW, ROW, and much more time to devote to getting my Marine Naturalist Certification, and promoting the Rights of Nature, and Saving Our Oceans since I won't have to return to Arizona so early every summer due to mule-boarding bills!

 Although I still cannot lift weights (not even 5 lb. dumbells) I can row my ergometer. I'm heading to the lake next week to see how I do in the wherry. I can hardly wait! I'd like to compete in "senior" rowing competitions. Doing so will take practice and time - and I'll now have time for that. Essentially, I truly believe the changes I'm making are for the better.

And perhaps the changes we all may have to make due to Covid-19 will be for the better too.