It was O.K. because they left Charlie, the man that lives in a house next to our field, in charge of feeding and taking care of us. We know him because he sometimes has a garden just over the fence from our pasture. When we stick our heads over the fence when he's working in his yard, he brings us carrots or grass clippings. Imagine being able to eat fresh grass and not even have to tear it with your teeth!
Even though we wondered what happened to our humans, we weren't too worried. We horses live in the moment, so we aren't really very worried about things as long as our needs for food and safety are taken care of. Charlie came over and gave us hay, grain and water every day, and even played with us.
In fact, we had a lot of fun with Charlie. While looking for carrots, I discovered a little box in his pocket. I was able to get it out of his pocket and run away with it. I played with it in my mouth. It was pretty fun to see him come after me and try to get it away. He said it was his cell phone. Maybe he thought I was trying to call my humans. I couldn't get it to work; I guess horse spit made the keys not work quite right.
Another day while Charlie was cleaning the poop out of the shed, Shade slipped into the part of the shed where they keep a trailer and all sorts of neat stuff. I think he was playing that game "Hide and Seek". He hid in that part of the shed and wouldn't come out. After trying and trying to get him to come out, Charlie had to go in and pull him out by his mane.
The point is that having fun during times of stress really helps you cope. I think all humans ought to make sure they keep their sense of humor when things are stressful. When you play (or play jokes) it lightens your mood. I've noticed that when humans play or laugh, their body language changes. They relax, breathe more slowly and do that funny thing with their lips they call a smile. I've noticed when they do that smiling thing, the stress just disappears, at least for awhile.
I'm glad that both of our humans are back, even though Bernie walks around with tape on his arm and limps like he has a stone in his hoof. Don't worry. We'll keep doing things to remind him to keep his sense of humor and I'll bet that the stress will soon go away.
Neighs and Whinnies,
Goomba
PS I was picked to write again this month because I have such a great sense of humor. I've been known to eat buttons off shirts, and you ought to see me with Velcro!
PPS If you want help keeping your sense of humor in times of stress in your life, I'll bet my human, Linda Pucci can help. She's really good at helping you change your perspective about negative things that have happened in your life. And she never eats your buttons or steals your cell phone. Call her at 865-983-7544 to find out what she can do for you.
NOTE FROM LINDA: Goomba is absolutely right about the importance of a sense of humor during times of stress. While we were off at the Burn Unit at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, the stories of Goomba's escapades gave both of us a really good laugh. Having a sense of humor is very important for healing and pain management as well!
© 2009 Linda Pucci, Ph.D.
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