“There are horses in the field! What should we do?” came the text from my new not-from-the-country neighbor at 6:50 in the morning.
Obviously, she was more than just a little freaked out.
So… good neighbor that I am, I texted her back a little after 7 in the morning:
Me: “Just leave them alone; they’ll go home when they’re ready. Enjoy a lovely morning watching horses and a lone donkey in your front yard.”
Neighbor: “My dogs are going crazy & they need to go out!”
Me: “The dogs will be fine in the dog run for a while. The horses & donkey probably won’t stick around for too long. The grass is always greener and all that.”
Neighbor: “How did they get out? Who do we tell?”
I let her know that the horses lived in the pasture across the street from the end of my driveway, and as soon as I’d finished exercising, I’d head over there. But she was still a little flustered, so her husband walked over to the horse’s home. And then he texted me:
“Neighbors not there. What do we do?”
Me: “They’ll find their way home sooner than later. Trust me.”
After 15 minutes the horses and donkey began to make their way back. Mind you, it wasn’t like they just made a beeline for their home when they realized it was in sight. They had to meander and try some grass here. Try some other grass over there, and a little more grass there until finally – after 40 minutes or so – they decided it was time to make their way back home to the safety of their own pasture.
For my neighbors, it was slightly panic-inducing, having large unwanted animals in their yard. For me, not so much. Once upon a time, it might have sent me into a tizzy, but since, I’d been there, done that many, many times, and the end result has always been the same:
After a little time playing (in) the field, literally finding the proverbial green grass on the other side of the fence, those horses and donkey want…
Familiar.
Provision.
Comfort.
Safety.
So they go home.
And really, aren’t we all that way?
Don’t we all think the grass is greener elsewhere on occasion? Don’t we want to see if we can break free of our constraints to partake of the unknown and potentially unsafe every once in a while?
It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering rebellion. No raping and pillaging the village. No running away from home. Just… breaking the rules from time to time.
Going 72 mph in a 65 mph zone.
Eating another cookie. Or two or three.
Procrastinating an important deadline in favor of a night of reality TV.
Crossing the street when the “don’t walk” sign is lit.
(That last one? I always get a little thrill that I’m jaywalking. Why, I don’t know, but I do.)
We’re all guilty of some kind of insubordination from time to time, but most of us – all of us, I suspect – have a God-sized hole that pulls our souls toward righteousness and truth. We may not be able to be righteous and truthful all the time, but we want to live that way. In the deepest crevices of our hearts, we long for that kind of home.
It might take us a while to work our way home, but we’re meandering in that direction.
Oh, I love this post. So real and down to earth! And yes, we are all a lot like those horses…but there’s no place like home!
Shiela,
Thank you for your kind comments! It’s been a while since I visited my own blog, so I’m sorry I haven’t replied before now. I loved heading over to yours; we’re heading over to Italy in a couple months and I’m SO excited! I’ve always wanted to see Italy, so I’ll probably be checking in to your site a LOT to learn some things beforehand. Thank you for stopping by so I could find YOU 😉 Buongiorno from here/buon pomeriggio there!
I’m glad I got to know your blog too. And so happy for you for your trip over here. I’m sure you’ll love it. It’s a beautiful land! If I don’t hear from again, Buon viaggio!