11 November

And What Of Simon…Lessons, Lessons.

by Jon Katz
What of Simon?

As a writer, I ought to be able to convey how much I love Simon, how he has opened me up, how I identify with him, how much he means to me – how he turns to me again and again needing my presence, my attention. One of the most painful things about the last few weeks for me has been not liking Simon very much, identifying with some of the many unpleasant thoughts people were thinking about him.  Simon was picking on Rocky, Rocky was here first, Rocky needed his own place to be safe from Simon. Some of the same thoughts crossed my mind at times.

My life with animals has taught me to reconsider such thoughts. Simon has suffered much more in his life than Rocky ever did – that sweet pony had a great life, almost every single one of his 34 years. Simon was abandoned, starved, neglected, sick and in great pain, near death. Simon has a great heart, a wondrous personality, an infectious joy for life. His recovery was a spiritual experience for both of us. He is neither good nor bad. He has no motives.

He  is an animal, and a male (sometimes I think being a male is simply a disease) protecting his herd. Rocky was a male, and sick and vulnerable one. Simon, from the first, was focused on driving him away. And animals don’t have to be right next to each other to be threatening – they sense and hear and smell one another. The donkeys would not to near the barn while Rocky while in it, and Rocky moved as far from them as he could get.

Simon was visibly agitated, rough with Lulu and Fanny, disinterested and Maria and I, snorting, stomping, glowering. The farm was a tense place, had a confrontational  sense. Maria and I were both determined to protect Rocky, and we were especially tense and vigilant, something every animal on the farm picked up visibly and reacted to. Still, I resented Simon, was angry with him, even kicked him in the butt once. He was spoiling our plans, making Rocky uncomfortable, disrupting life. And Rocky, already struggling with advanced age and many health problems, seemed to withdraw even more into himself, staying in the far corner of the pasture all day long.

I’ve gotten many messages asking if Simon is different now that Rocky is gone. He is different. He waits by the gate for us, braying his call to life. He wants to have his nose rubbed, and I am kissing him on the nose each morning. He has calmed down with Lulu and Fanny, and it is true, the atmosphere on the farm is different. I am loving Simon very much again, talking to him, reading  him stories. This morning, he put his head on my shoulder and I just rubbed his nose, something he has not done since he came here. It is so important to remember that these animals are different from us, and cannot be judged the way we judge one another. Simon was trying to protect his flock, pure and simple. He was rejecting a threat, and a weak and vulnerable one.

The minute Rocky was gone, Simon was transformed again, into himself, into the donkey we have known and loved. I try and convey my belief that none of us can go through life without mistakes, the spiritual challenge is what we learn from them and how they help us grow.

If I am not fully able to admire him for it, I can respect him and return to my sense of him as an animal with a wonderful and loving spirit, one to whom I owe much. I was shocked at the belligerent and menacing creature Simon became when we arrived, pleasantly surprised, but not that surprised, to see him return to himself. I think I expected too much from both of these creatures and am reminded once more that they are alien, different, and I must work every day to understand their language and the things they are struggling to tell us.

11 November

Talking To Animals

by Jon Katz
Talking To Animals

Here at our farm, we talk to animals every day. We talk by feeling, listening, mostly by being. Donkeys are the most communicative and intuitive animals I know, and they express need, connection, affection. I love talking to them, listening to them. Learning how to talk through my emotions. It calms me, opens me up. It affects me seeing the way Maria and the donkeys talk, and I grow and learn from that.

Email SignupFree Email Signup