It's Deja Vu -- All Over Again...

With a nod to Yogi Berra as I love that quote....

It was a not so welcome reminder of the past when my equine coach, River, was a little "off" as she trotted in the round pen last weekend.  A worried call to the vet and a vet visit later in the day confirmed my fears -- River had a flare-up of laminitis.  Laminitis is an inflammation of the connective tissue, the lamina, between the hoof and the bone in the hoof, the coffin or pedal bone.  The inflammation chokes the blood supply in the hoof and the forces on the bone can cause it to rotate.  In extreme cases, the bone can actually punch through the bottom of the hoof.  River has at least two acute cases of laminitis previously.  Her recovery from the last bout was amazing; but like any chronic condition, it can rear its ugly head.  And so, here we were again.

River was put on anti-inflammatories and I began the daily process of soaking her feet in ice water to bring down the inflammation.  River took it all stoically.  I am pleased that a subsequent vet visit this weekend showed that she was greatly improved -- so much so that she is allowed to do some light groundwork exercise and have her anti-inflammatories reduced.

River was not giving strong signals that something was wrong.  It was only through observation that I knew that she was in pain.  It's the same with us humans.  It may not be evident that someone is hurting, whether it be physically or emotionally.  A person may show it in other ways besides showing pain or sharing that they are in pain.  They may become terse or angry or withdrawn.  For those we deal with daily, it may be a process of careful observation to determine they are hurting.  For those we deal with in passing, we may never know, but should give the benefit of the doubt.  Every person is usually dealing with some type of pain or difficulty in their lives.  Once we determine  someone is in pain, then we can reach out to help them.  Like River, once the pain is identified, the process to resolve the pain and recovery can then begin.

Not Horse Related -- But A Great Story of People Pulling Together...

The closest I can relate this to a horse story is that takes place in Louisville, Kentucky, the home of the Kentucky Derby -- this story is truly human in all respects.

After a brief visit to Louisville to celebrate the graduation of my oldest nephew, my family and I arrived at the Louisville airport and settled in at the departure gate for a direct flight to Orlando.  About an hour before the flight, it was announced that the plane had mechanical issues and was delayed for five hours.  Now, being that the plane was heading to Orlando -- home of Disney World and other favorite family destinations -- there were lots of families with small children.  None of the families were looking forward to a five-hour delay with tired and bored little ones.

One man came to the rescue.  I can only believe that this gentlemen performs as a professional magician or clown, as he pulled out a load of balloons and a pump and started making balloon swords and balloon animals.  Soon, the whole departure gate erupted in a joyful free-for-all of children playing together with balloon swords and balloon animals.  People who did not know each other were laughing and talking with one another, enjoying the ensuing melee.  The gentleman was even willing to teach other adults how to make these special balloon shapes.  After a while, all the kids happily settled down.  Some napped while others watched videos.  All in all a quiet, albeit long wait.

The plane left close to six hours late, but the tone set by this wonderful gentleman set the tone for the rest of the wait and the uneventful flight down to Orlando.  Truly evidence that one person's actions can make a huge difference.