Not Today Ruby

 

 
We were checking our horses last night, our usual evening ritual, when we noticed Ruby limping terribly. Ruby is our 30 year old horse who has been the matriarch of the farm. Ruby had a horrible colic 15 years ago. We rushed her to the University of Georgia vet school and they opened her abdomen up and she had already perforated her bowel. The vets put wire mesh over her abdominal wall and sewed her back up and said she might live a couple of years more. That was 15 years ago. Now she is ready to go to her peace but it is so hard to decide when to euthanize her. I walked up to the fence this morning and she hobbled to me with a lick and lots of love. This is the part I hate about farm life, the losses that we must deal with everyday in the natural world. I don’t think I can take it today Ruby. It will take me a day of mourning and crying for sure and I just can’t do it today. I have loved you too much, we have been through too much together and you have been my source of strength in so many dark times. Not today Ruby. I will give you some Bute for any pain today and love you with carrots and kisses. But not today Ruby.  

About kathleen.hall

Dr. Kathleen Hall, internationally recognized stress and work-life balance expert, is the founder and CEO of The Stress Institute®, The Mindful Living Network® and Alter Your Life®. Dr. Hall’s life’s work is to teach others how to reduce stress by learning how to live a sustainable, balanced life of true happiness through mindful living. Combining research based medical models with universal spiritual practices, she has developed a life-altering stress reduction and lifestyle program she calls, “Where Science Meets the Soul®.”

During times of stress and crisis, the international television and print media consistently seek the authoritative knowledge, information and direction of Dr. Kathleen Hall. Dr. Hall's advice has been featured by all the major national media including NBC's The Today Show, Oprah & Friends, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, CNN Paula Zahn Now, CNN Headline News, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN International, FOX, ESPN.com, Good Morning America Radio, Martha Stewart Radio, Fortune, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Money Magazine, Business Week, Parents, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, Body + Soul, and Woman’s Day.

Dr. Hall is the Author of A Life in Balance: Nourishing the Four Roots of True Happiness (AMACOM, January 2006) and Alter Your Life: Overbooked? Overworked? Overwhelmed? (Oak Haven, April 2005) and a new book in Fall 2009.

Dr. Hall is a contributing writer for PINK Magazine. She is also the Global Ambassador for the Unilever/Knorr Soup Campaign - Eat Soup, Live Healthy; World thought leader to Fortune 500 Corporations; Electronic Arts spokesperson (Pogo.com); Darden Restaurant spokesperson, Tempur-Pedic spokesperson. Martha Stewart Publications coined her the "Stress Queen."

Dr. Hall earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Jacksonville State University, a Masters of Divinity from Emory University and a Doctorate in Spirituality from Columbia Theological Seminary. Her diverse background includes study with medical pioneer’s Dr. Dean Ornish of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute and Dr. Herbert Benson at the Harvard Mind/Body Institute as well as illustrious Nobel Peace Prize recipients including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Bishop Desmond Tutu and President Jimmy Carter. 

She lives on her horse farm where her family rescues animals.  She loves her flower and vegetable gardens and enjoys canning her foods.

More information about Dr. Kathleen Hall can be found at www.drkathleenhall.comwww.stressinstitute.com , and www.mindfullivingnetwork.

One Response to Not Today Ruby

  1. mydomainpvt September 11, 2009 at 12:30 pm #

    dear kathleen,

    its really a heart breaking part of close association with our furry friends i agree.

    Wish you love, peace and happiness.

    Trisha