Saturday, October 11, 2008

An Unwanted Journey: Day 1053 - "Life as a Horse"


Marc's Belgians 019
Originally uploaded by rtfax
"Seen from a distance, it's perfect." - tagline from the 2001 movie Life as a House

If someone were to ask me, "What is the most beautiful animal in the world today?", I think I would have to answer, "The horse."

Yesterday, a friend took me for the second time to visit two of his Belgian horses - Sweet Sherry and Classy Barb. It was the perfect autumn day. Sunny skies, leaves turning colour in the woods around the farm, few insects, apple trees dropping fruit in the yard, a wagon ride, brushing the sweat from Sweet Sherry's flanks after taking over the reins and steering the two horses back into the barn, a few photographs, and talking with my friend about his horses.

We talked about other things, of course. How my family was dealing with the news of my prognosis. How my sons were doing in university. How my incision was healing. What kind of chemotherapy I'd be getting next week. His recent walking trip in the villages of Tuscany. Red wine. Big screen TVs. Canadian Thanksgiving.

Often, when driving north to visit family members, we travel through Orangeville. We always see horses, admiring them from a distance, but seldom stopping the car to take a longer look. But I'm stopping more often these days to indulge myself when I notice something beautiful or merely interesting.

Yesterday was one of those days when time didn't matter. It was just about seeing Marc's horses, hitching them up and driving them for a while, and enjoying the sheer beauty of two Belgians. And they are truly beautiful, not just from a distance, but up close and personal as well.

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