How Helping Others Led to My Own Healing

I’ve been very lucky in choosing work that I love. My careers include; managing health clubs, professional ski patroller, river guide, fundraiser and public relations executive, being on the board of directors and volunteering for nonprofit organizations, conducting spiritual healing, and authoring three inspirational, self-help books. I’ve had other employment but the above mentioned posts are jobs that I love. That love has been returned to me repeatedly, sometimes in unexpected ways.

The common thread in these seemingly diverse occupations has been the reward of helping others. It includes assisting people; to get in shape, helping them when they are hurt, sharing the joy of nature and the outdoors, funding research and publicizing the nonprofits, and just plain helping people. This inspires me to look for ways to help people even more. Writing and creating books has given me the greatest fulfillment of these desires. One reason is that the vast majority of people I may have helped through my writing I will never meet.

None of this was or is possible without the help of other kind heartfelt associates, a support team, some are life long friends. In the last few years while researching A History of Horses Told by Horses that support circle expanded to include my four legged companions. For several years I have led therapeutic horseback rides at Humble Ranch, assisting equine friends in helping people with special needs. This is described and expanded upon in the chapter titled, Therapy Horses. It also led to my experience of being loved and helped by a horse named, Buckshot.

After noticing that a beauty mark or mole on my right knee had enlarged and changed color I had a biopsy. The result was a diagnosis of malignant melanoma, cancer. Surgery took place two days later. Returning home on crutches I slumped, self-absorbed onto a couch overcome with depression. The very next day the director from Humble Ranch called to tell me that Buckshot had an accident the same afternoon as my surgery.

All I could think about was my hobbled equine friend as I drove, using my left leg, to Humble Ranch. Incredibly his wound was anatomically in the same location as my operation, both of which required more than twenty stitches. Unsteady on crutches, I peered into the nasty gash. I could have placed my entire fist inside the gaping wound. My heart opened to my friend, I thought he would never walk normally again. I insisted on tending to his injury. The following few weeks I was with Buckshot everyday until he was dashing across the field like nothing had happened. At the same time my veil of self-absorption and depression lifted. Thank you, Buckshot!

The serendipity of Buckshot and my fate is reconfirmation for me to continue my most challenging and satisfying work in telling the animals’ tales and the different ways they can help humans. The inter-species connections with horses, elephants, dolphins, whales, cats, and dogs can enable people in ways some never thought possible. Have a great day!

With a friend at Humble Ranch.

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.