Hi there.
Thank you for joining me.
I want to introduce you to my friend,
Willow.
From over here,
Willow.
Oh,
Hey there,
Willow.
Good morning.
Willow pronounces his name,
Will.
Whoa!
Because he's a sturdy little pony.
He's very tiny.
And Willow,
You live near me,
Don't you?
And for most of his adult life,
Willow used those small but mighty legs and his broad chest to pull a very heavy little wooden wagon.
As he was hauling rocks.
Down from a granite quarry high in the Pyrenees Mountains near here.
Didn't you,
Willow?
It was not easy.
And I can only imagine that it was terribly hard work.
But he escaped that life thanks to my dear friends who bought his freedom.
And now he is spending his days right here,
Munching thick green grass in his pasture.
He listens to the chickens who are his friends.
They chatter as they scratch around near the barn doorway.
And he naps beneath.
What I think might be an apple tree.
But if it is an Apple III Willow,
I imagine summer is going to be very exciting for you.
And what makes Wilwo extra special to me?
Is that he is patient with the kisses of a human who pedals her bicycle just to spend time with him.
So this might be a nice opportunity to pause together.
Allow your eyes to softly close if you like.
Imagine in your mind.
That you are here with us.
With the beautiful aroma of this green meadow high in the mountains.
And together,
Let's take a slow,
Deep breath.
Breath in.
Hold it at the top.
And now let it go.
And as you do,
Let your shoulders drop.
Okay,
One more deep breath in.
And let it go.
And just like you and I are striving to do,
Wilwo lives entirely in each moment.
He has thoughts,
I'm sure.
But he has no worries.
He doesn't think about his past.
And he certainly doesn't carry any resentment about his former life.
And I don't think he's projecting into the future.
He is a pony of presence.
Whenever my own mind starts revisiting old chapters or rehearsing future worries that may never arrive.
I breathe in slowly and I whisper a little mantra that is inspired by the term Wu Wei.
And you know Wu Wei.
Means to let everything pass through you.
It's from the Tao.
So instead,
Wu Wei,
For me,
Becomes Will Wo.
Maybe say it softly with me right now.
Will.
Woe.
And again,
Almost as a whisper.
And continue to repeat it silently for as long as feels right for you.
And for now,
I'm going to leave you with your breath.
But before I go,
I just want to say how grateful I am you joined me here in the Pyrenees Mountains for these little postcard moments.
Will wow.
Well,
Wow.
