Play and Authenticity: The Equine's Gift

Hey There Friend,

I hope today finds you well. I am just coming in from being outside with the animals, maybe you don't know, but I run a 501(c) 3 federally recognized Non-Profit Animal Rescue, we call it Hillside Haven Pig Rescue, (although we have many kinds of animals here).

We've had rain here and they've all been cooped up. Horses that are usually turned out in big open spaces, were confined to smaller stalls under safe keeping from the weather. 

This really got me thinking, are we making time for play? By we, I mean you and me and our society as a whole.

-OR-

Are we all cooped up feeling restricted and confined to the safety of our own creating? 

I've always been drawn to animals, they've saved me many times in my life.

They are a beautiful reflection of us, and what is possible, and a mirror of when we might be restricting and harnessing ourselves. Especially the beautiful, intuitive, highly sensitive equine. 

As I turned our gorgeous mares out they bucked with excitement, specially our beautiful Sephora she is a tall, long, lean and surefooted thoroughbred and she shot out as soon as I undid her halter.

Then there is our beautiful Cassie, she is a shorter, muscular, strong, determined draft in a smaller package the Haflinger. She did the same, gave a little buck of excitement, although she preferred a roll in the mud first. Then in all her excitement she lost her footing, slipped and fell. You'll have to keep reading to the end to see if she was okay and what we did next.

These beautiful animals serve as a reminder for us all to break free from the walls of confinement, and make time for play.

When we are restricted too long, often times we feel the need to run free, and when we do - Sometimes we make great strides in life and at other-times we go all in, do too much, loose our footing and then fall flat on our face, or like Cassie land on our big ole booties.

Let these spirit animals be a reminder to make time for play, don't restrict yourself so much to being a "good girl" and following all the rules, or not being truly authentic to who you are. 

It's interesting this message comes to me as I was just reflecting on how I haven't been completely forth coming about who I am...and the cloak of protection and fear I had carried. 

It's time for all of us to be true to who we are and commit to living our most authentic life.

Remove the masks, remove the over-busy life, remove the overeating to cover how you feel, instead feel into who you are without fear.

Are you curious what I've been hiding? Here it is...I hate talking about food. Here's what I'd rather talk about:

I'm an empath who grew up afraid of how much I felt.

I almost didn't graduate Highschool, I hated school. I didn't fit the mold. I fought against restriction, I laugh because my deeply feeling Father always used to say to me, "Jenny, I don't want to break your spirit, but I sure wish I could tame it a bit." He was my hero growing up, (even if I didn't know it then). He taught me about trusting my gut, listening to that, "sixth sense," it was something that would never lead me wrong.

I just wish he could understand how powerful he is with how deeply he feels. Instead as a man he is  taught it's a bad thing and fought against it. Thankfully he is still alive today, and I get to show him the kind of daughter he raised, one true to herself, a free spirit, still a bit untamed and yet a whole lot wiser.

Maybe you are wondering why then do I talk about food? Food is powerful. Food has the power to help you tune in with more clarity to that quiet voice within you, that 6th sense my father talked about. 

It's a tangible step we can take towards releasing weight, both physical and emotional. 

Isn't it what you go looking for when you want to lose weight? You don't go looking for the inside reasons, we aren't fully taught to look within for the answers. Instead we think what we are looking for must be out there, outside of ourselves. 

The only time I've ever enjoyed talking about food in my almost decade worth of coaching was working with a mom recovering her son from symptoms of ADHD, it was powerful. 

But working with women around weight loss, the very last thing I want to talk to you about is food. In almost a decade of coaching and hundreds of clients, Ive learned you aren't going to follow through with my suggestions if you don't work on what's going on inside that sends you binging into the fridge. 

As you know Smart Keto Academy is open for enrollment. Yes there are food lists, yes there are shopping guides and recipes to support doing Keto in a smart and strategic way, but that's not all.

We go much deeper, so if you're someone looking for just the boring stuff, I'm not your coach, there are $29 dollar, dime a dozen meal plans out there, those might be your jam. 

Let's get you out of hiding and confinement, and into living, serving and using your most powerful gifts. We need you.

Until next time.

Blessings in Health and Happiness,

XoXo,

Jen💜

P.s If you are wondering what happened to our sweet Cassie who took a spill, she hopped back up. She may be solid, and thick but she is agile and determined and nothing gets in her way, even a little fall. 

 And if you're curious about the other animals at the rescue you can meet them here: Hillside Haven Pig Rescue