My horse Dill and I have lived in a few different farms, and since March have moved on to the delightful Firefly Farm in Efland, owned by Terry Bazarre – a wonderfully charming man, who adores Dilly. They’re best buds – as Terry puts it. Terry is the best innkeeper we could ask for – hands down! Let’s just say that promises (to Dilly) were made, and kept. And we owe it all to Terry.
To get back to my original story – there were lots of other farm animals in addition to the horses at Sharon Oaks. We used to have pigs, chickens and peacocks! Oh and Goats too!
The pigs and chickens lived in a cozy, enclosed pen that sat right by the drive that lead over to the covered arena. Dill was not pleased about getting anywhere close to either the pigs or chickens. It took quite a bit of coaxing to move him around it so that we can go to the arena.
Trying to not make a big deal over it, as horses tend to respond in opposition to any sense of urgency, I calmly accepted his reluctance, but remained curious about why he wouldn’t walk past the pig pen. So I asked him. “Please Dill, tell me what is so frightening and scary about the pig pen that you protest every single time or sometimes refuse to go even one step closer?”
And you know what? I got a response that I did not expect. He said to me, “well, you’re one to talk…”. Wow, I was red-faced and humbled. “Dill, you’re absolutely right! I have no room to talk as I have not written the book that I have been intending to write for years. I don’t know what’s stopping me and there is not a good explanation or legitimate fear that I can point to and blame other than myself. Dilly, I promise you that I’m going to write that book and I promise never to ask you about the pig pen again.”
And so I started writing and along the way, the Book: A New BMI became a workbook and online program called “Body Mind Initiative”. I managed to overcome my own resistance and move toward my personal goals. The “Body Mind Initiative” is all about changing your mindset so that you achieve optimal health and fitness for yourself, moving beyond a focus on the scale to the goal of feeling good and discovering the “joy of fitness.”
The Body Mind Initiative emphasizes Well-Being over Weight Loss and “Intuition over Willpower”, teaching how to put physical activity and mindfulness into an everyday practice of moving the body and quieting the mind. I am so excited to finally be able to offer people the kind of program needed to be able to move with ease and stop letting their body get in the way of a life to be enjoyed.
Thank you, Dill – because of you and the pig pen – I kept my promises.
