So what is it ...?

What is it about living with donkeys that keeps me so engaged? I often wonder.  Even though my goals sometimes seem too big for my britches (like hiking for days in the wilderness with donkeys!) I continue to feel so grounded and alive with my animals.

Even though they keep me close to home, where would I rather be?  Luckily holidays in Mexico just aren't my style - in fact I make a lousy tourist!

Since our acreage is small, the donkeys need to be fed hay and straw throughout the day - that can be a planning challenge for sure but it's also a routine.  That late night trip to the barn on cold, dark, rainy nights is tough too but once there, I breathe in the sweet smell of the animals and the hay and sounds of steady munching soothe the soul.

These critters are part of me now, part of my family, integral to my life.  They are my teachers and I kid myself that I am theirs. I continue to learn, not just about donkey personalities and husbandry but about myself, my resourcefulness, my levels of patience, of courage, of dedication.

I live outdoors way more than I otherwise would! They enable me to breathe in the starry skies, to hear the early morning chirrups of critters waking up, to be tense with listening and watchful with observing.  They connect me to an old self and have helped me find a new one.