A Shetland Pony Offers Perspective

I'm sitting under cover, waiting for the rain to ease so I can get on with my next task, when I notice my friend's Shetland pony out in the paddock. It's the bank holiday at the end of May, and of course it's absolutely chucking it down. You could say this is sod's law, how typical that on a bank holiday, when it's the start of half-term for kids and lots of people are off on holiday, it rains and ruins the fun. Especially when we've had such a warm, dry period recently.

But while I'm sat here waiting and probably doing a bit of internal grumbling about British weather, I'm watching what the wildlife is up to. And the Shetland pony? He's completely unbothered by the downpour. He's got his head down, scoffing his face full of grass, making the most of every mouthful. He doesn't care that it's raining - he's just enjoying this lovely brief moment that he's been allowed out on the grass, completely absorbed in what's right in front of him.

There's something about watching him that shifts my perspective entirely. Here I am, getting wound up about weather I can't control, while he's demonstrating perfect acceptance. He's not wishing it was sunny, not hiding away waiting for better conditions, he's just getting on with enjoying life for exactly what it is in this moment.

And actually, when I really think about it, this rain is exactly what we need. After weeks of dry weather, pond levels have dropped dramatically, and the crops and wild plants are crying out for water. The countryside has been looking increasingly parched. What seems like an inconvenience to us humans is actually essential for everything around us.

It strikes me as a great perspective shift. Sometimes what might outwardly seem a bit crap can actually be exactly what we need, we just can't see it from where we're standing. The pony doesn't waste energy resisting what he can't change; he finds the good in what's actually happening.

Maybe there's wisdom in that approach to more than just weather. Those setbacks that feel frustrating, the timing that seems all wrong, the circumstances that don't match our plans. What if some of them are actually exactly what we need, even if we can't see it yet? What if, instead of waiting for conditions to be perfect, we could find a way to appreciate what's right in front of us?

The rain's still falling, but I'm not waiting for it to stop anymore.