The World Large and Small

The rain gauge contained a half inch of water, and it was clear from the washing on the ground in the pony paddocks and the rivulets in the driveway that most of the rain that had come when we were gone had come in a very short period of time.  Yet at the ponies’ summer pasture four miles away, no rain of any significance had fallen.  It’s amazing how something as big as a rainstorm can nonetheless affect a relatively small area.  It’s a reminder that despite something large like a rain cloud, our world is a much, much bigger place where some ponies went into the evening with damp coats while their relations were dry not very far away.

And while the world can seem like a huge place, on the other hand it can feel like a smaller place when things impact people and ponies we know.  At the moment, the world is feeling smaller due to the hurricanes Harvey and Irma.  My pony family is now large enough and scattered enough that these storms have touched my pony family members and therefore me.  Two people who bought ponies from me are dealing with Irma in Florida.  And two ponies I bred are recovering from the effects of Harvey in Texas.

I am thankful that breeding Fell Ponies has made these storms feel more personal and the world feel smaller.  As I check in with my own ponies here at the end of the day, I will think of the other members of our farm family who are displaced from home and farm and routine, wishing for them some peace as they ride out the tumult they’ve been dealt.  It is not an easy time for anyone.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2017