The Long Run! Symbolic Meaning?

 

My day began in the usual way..logged onto AOL , reading my mail, waiting for the update from Tim Wooley's site for results of Barbaro's cast change yesterday. I began to increasingly consider about what is driving the countless number of people who are sitting right along side me, somewhere on the Internet, waiting and wondering and praying that all is OK, and that we will have another "another comfortable night" message, along with a positive report from New Bolton Center.

And I think to myself... do people really "get it"? Do folks really understand what is beyond the updates and the hats and t- shirts that we purchase, and the inordinate number of online groups that have formed who "meet" to talk about Barbaro, the amazing number of websites that have gone up, not only for newsworthy events but to help raise funds for favorite horse charities such as  Penn Veterinary Medicine :  Alumni & Friends :  Alumni Giving .

The message which New Bolton Center posts on their site is extremely clear about their purpose for fund raising, particularly at this time,"Gifts made to the New Bolton Fund will go directly to improving the equipment and services of the New Bolton Center, for treating animals like Barbaro - and countless others - in their times of need" It speaks right to the heart of all horse lovers all over the world.

But it is not just that horse lovers rally around the progress of our Kentucky Derby winner who was injured so tragically at the Preakness, dissolving our hopes of having a Triple Crown winner into oblivion. There is much more to this phenomenon that must be capturing our hearts and thoughts.

Yes, we are accused of being "Barbaromaniacs," (a new term that has been coined, which we actually happen to love as it fits us to a "T)." We are accused of anthropomorphizing to the extreme. We are accused of being fixated on the progress of this horse, but WHY are we doing this? What is causing this apparent compulsion?

Perhaps in the world of today, we are so in need of a "hero" that embodies the true meaning of the word.   This horse, Barbaro, fits the bill. His courage, his will to survive in spite of the greatest odds against it, his attitude, his willingness to cooperate with his caretakers speaks to us on a very deep and unconscious level. He has become a powerful icon of "Hero."  His veterinary staff, his owners, his trainer and his jockey's hard work, interweave 'iconically' with this magical horse's attitude, which blends love, devotion and the grinding day to day care that they are providing, into a tapestry of pure courage.

Anyone can rally in a moment of crisis. Most of us are "crisis" driven, actually, and take action when a crisis presents itself. It is the day to day, "carrying water and chopping wood" rituals that keeps the flame of hope alive, not only in the case of Barbaro and his recovery, but any cause that is sufficiently powerful to move our hearts.

So let's not throw the baby out with the bath water, and focus only on Barbaro's medical progress, but see the bigger picture of what is involved here. A "hero" is made, not born. We can learn a lot about the parts of us that are "heroic."

We learn a lot about our ability to stay with a cause that is important to us, and the work that it takes to ride with that cause, no matter what. We set an intention and follow our hearts which is the easy part. The hard part is the often dull and boring times, to keep our goal in sight.

How do you keep your heart open? Do you have a "hero"? Have you found that "hero" inside yourself?