A Life Lived Well  by Davina Herbert

These days it seems like I am surrounded by grief – some of it is from clients and some of it is mine.  On the 16^th of March 2024 we lost our beautiful Ms Lil.  Her full name was Antrim Spring Lily, but we just called her Lil or Ms Lil.  She came to us around 12 years ago.  The people who had been looking after her were unable to continue due to ill health.  So, Lil and her paddock mate, Die Kinder Springrain (Rain) needed a new home.  We took both on.  Ms Lil had some health issues.  When she was young, she was severely injured during a thunderstorm.  It was due to the devotion of the people looking after her and her strong will to live that she had many more years of life.    

Lil was pony sized.  That means that her wither (base of the neck) was around 150 cm from the ground.  It would be easy to get her size fool you into dismissing her.  She was brave, super smart and very strong willed.  Whilst she was the lowest ranked member of herd, she didn’t let that stop her from living her life as large as she could.  She would often go out in front and eat where the others wouldn’t.  The herd dynamics changed a few years ago when some of the older members passed.  Lil struggled to fit in with the herd after that.  She would kowtow to herd pressure but only to a certain extent.  But she kept going and kept trying to find her place in the world. 

She was also adventurous in her love life.  At one time she had a boyfriend who was a goat.  There was a wild goat who came out of the bush to court Ms Lil.  He would dance on his hind hooves for her, and she was interested.  Unfortunately, the romance did not last.  Mr Billy Goat had a wandering soul.  One day he ended up at the local shops and was taken to an animal shelter to be rehoused. 

Of more recent times, we had been keeping Ms Lil near the house so that we could keep an eye on her.  Whilst her spirit was still strong, Ms Lil’s body had started to give out on her.  She had a couple of falls.  Then it got to the point where she could no longer get up, even with us helping her.  I knew in my heart that it was time for her to go but didn’t want to hear that.

I found it difficult to grieve Ms Lil.  I know that I will be saying ‘goodbye’ to some other family members soonish.  It felt like if I allowed myself to grieve Lil that I would open the floodgates of emotion and not be able to carry on.  I had to find new ways of grieving and allowing myself to move on.  The result is that I am offering a new service.  It is called ‘Reclaiming Me’.  It is a two-month program, with 4 sessions spaced out over that time.  You get personal coaching from me to help you move from your pain point – whether that is grief over an animal dying or trying to mend your relationship with your animal companion.  We will map out a plan that is personal to you to help you move forward so that this can be the year that you thrive. 

To book and pay, go to my website. 

Have a great month!