Last night, the youngest filly here decided she did not want to eat. She just stood off to the side and looked sad. I tried to hand feed her some grain to get her started, but she would have none of it. She turned her head away each time I tried to feed her, as if the smell of the grain was repulsive. She just did not want to eat. Now, when a horse act this way, something is definitely wrong, and taking it seriously is about the only thing a serious horse person can do. Horses just do not skip meals. So, I gave her some medicine to help with any stomach issues, I haltered her, and then lead her around to get her moving. When she finally started walking more easily, I took off the halter and began whipping the lead rope behind her to get her to trot. Hesitantly, she took a few strides, stopped, and stood there. Persistently, I kept after her. After a bit, she began moving steadily and soon she was running from me. Some 10-15 minutes of this and she had enough. She turned toward the upper end of the paddock and sprinted toward the hay waiting for her. She arrived at the hay and began munching. I watched her for a bit and decided she was okay. I packed up my flashlight, wrapped up her halter and lead rope, and went inside. I checked on her a couple of more times throughout the night, each time finding her, well, being her normal self. This morning, she stood at her feeding station, as always, waiting anxiously for me to bring her food. Whatever her issue last night is not her issue this morning. Whatever anxiety I felt last night is gone this morning.
Sometimes the unexpected happens. All is as it should be, and then it is not. I don’t it like when this happens. It does not thrill me, excite me, or in any way give a feeling that I want to repeat. In times such as last night with the filly, I just want everything to go back to the way it was before the anxiety set in. I just want “things” to be okay. In this case, I got my wish …
Sometimes, I feel this way about the economy. I just want it to be okay. I am tired of “chasing it around the paddock” hoping it will be okay. I am tired of reading about it, hearing about it, writing about it, discussing it, and trying to convince people to let their anxiety about it go away. I am sick of the media reporting every new piece of data as if that statistic were the one that would make it better or make it worse. I am sick of the pundit predictors, the economists, and the financial analysts giving me their opinions about where we are headed, when we will get there, and what the economy will look like when we do arrive. I am fed up with numbers, percentages, and all manner of data. I just want it to be okay.
I know that in time, the economy will be fine, but for this moment, I don’t want to think about it anymore. I would really like it if I could just give it some medicine, move it about a bit, and then have it go back to eating, just like it used to do.
Trade in the day; invest in your life …
