One of my philosophies of life is to live in the present. I have never found that anything is gained by dwelling on the past and, "planning for the future?"... well, for me, allowing things to unfold, listening to the Universe and trusting my instincts has always worked. So if you are looking at Mandala's calendar you won't see anything yet! Inspiration hasn't yet arrived and I am still waiting to see what this season will offer. But check again soon and it will be there.
So just a glimpse into the past year! Back to 2010. Was it a hard year? Not really. Was it a different year? Certainly. A year of loss, and gain and change. A year of new experiences.
The loss started on January 6th. 2010 with the death of my most loved step-father Ben. ( see earlier post) Many friends and clients at Mandala became friends and admirers of Ben. His presence in the Granny House was always very large. And his death left a huge gap in my life.
I began to fill that gap by spending more time visiting my grandchildren. Spending time with the very young instead of the very old. Rejoicing in the birth of Osk's filly and starting working the young horses had helped ease the passing of the last of the elder horses ( see earlier posts). And Alex and Anna did help to fill the void left by Ben's departure.
Much needed repairs and renovations to my humble cabin took place this year, from June through November and left me with mixed emotions. Joy, at getting it done, guilt for having left it so long ( the roof had been leaking for too many years), the stress that goes along with having your home torn apart, piles of stuff everywhere, construction debris marring the lovely grounds and gardens that surround Mandala and the constant presence of workers,even though I couldn't have asked for a more caring and mindful pair.
In the spring of 2010 I realized that I had been a teacher for forty years and began to feel a desire to be a student again. I also had the great privilege to work one on one with a few people with Autism. It was a very different experience from working with my wonderful Therapeutic Riding Groups ( for 16 years) and a very profound experience for me. Living with Autism is living in another world and it was wonderful to see the connections with the horses and the effects they had. I realized this was definitely something that I want to pursue further.
The twins had their first birthday, I cancelled several workshops because of the disruption here, and summer passed.
Fall offered me the chance to become a student again. I enrolled at the NS Agricultural College, one day a week, to take a level one course in Operant Conditioning Behavior Analysis. As some of you know, I spent many years dog training and running obedience classes. I stopped in the mid nineties, because getting a space to hold them became harder each year and also because the methods I had used, although positive and reward based, just didn't feel right. I worked with my own dogs using a clicker but didn't feel I had the depth of understanding that I wanted. OCBA is a very science based training method, using 4 techniques; we used shaping plans and kept training records and the animals learned with joy and retained what they learned. Our training subjects in class were both dogs and chickens ( my chickens name was Mara) and I chose to use Solon as my training subject at home.
Dog Training Classes will once again be added to my calendar. These will be based on OCBA, with TTouch techniques added and will only have 2 to 4 people in each class.
Also in December I was able to take a certification program with Rupert Issacson on his Horse Boy Method, an approach that he uses when working with people with Autism. I hope to incorporate more one on one work with people with Autism this year.
I ended up with a few health problems in 2010 which gave me some new experiences! My first stay in a hospital,my first ambulance ride, my first anesthetic, my first operation. Perhaps not the "firsts" that I would have chosen,but experiences that helped alleviate fears that I have always had.
2011 has started quietly. The snow is deep here making my lesson program an impossibility for the time being. The Icelandics are enjoying a good rest. I am spending a lot of time at my practice of Qigong and meditation, reading, snowshoeing or hiking in the woods with Remma and sometimes friends. Enjoying the beauty and silence that surrounds me.
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