HEATHER HOPES: A Horse Is a Horse, of Course?

By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com

Heather Cathleen Cox

Like many folks in our society, I utilize the World Wide Web to search for interesting tidbits, informative articles, inspiring quotes and amusing photographs—both for personal enrichment and work-related reasons. A few days ago, I stumbled upon a photo which I found so interesting, I shared it with the followers of one of my social media sites.

The object of the photo is a big, brown horse. There’s nothing particularly magical or enchanting about the horse or the picture itself, and the photo doesn’t even appear to be of professional quality. But what caught my attention was the fact this ordinary, brown horse is standing motionless while tied to nothing more than a flimsy, plastic lawn chair.

The horse is pictured all alone with the chair, yet he chooses to remain completely stationary—as if the lightweight chair were a century old oak rather than an irrelevant piece of plastic. Horses are smart animals. I couldn’t help but think: Why doesn’t he move? Doesn’t he know he is capable of freeing himself? Doesn’t he know who he is?

Let’s assume this adult horse had been detained with rope multiple times before the photograph was snapped—to something significantly stronger than he, like a large tree or concrete pillar. It’s also feasible to assume the horse attempted to loose himself the first time he was shackled. Perhaps even the second, third and umpteenth time. If—when using all his might—he still could not free himself from the bondage of a rope, it’s plausible the horse would have become eventually dismayed, thereby accepting the following fallacious rationalization: Because he had previously attempted to break free from bondage and failed, he began to believe that freedom itself was impossible. The rope, to our friend the horse, would now represent struggle, failure and maybe even pain if the rope had chaffed him.

It’s my experience that humans also condition ourselves in the same way. At least such is the case in my personal life. I have been a singer since I the tender age of two. I’ve even been called talented by professionals. As a singer-songwriter, I’ve written hundreds of songs. In college, I started bands and one pretty successful musical duo. We used to perform original songs on a weekly basis and even recorded together. After the duo dissolved, and in between uprooting my life dozens of times, I haven’t been able to regain the same momentum I once had for making music my career. I’ve let geography, life’s unfortunate and difficult circumstances, and unfavorable odds keep me from personal fulfillment.

It saddens me to admit this, but it’s been almost five years since I’ve had any kind of an original project. Like the horse, I am guilty of allowing reality to be overshadowed by previous encounters. The rope holding me down is real, has always been real, in the same way the rope holding the horse is real. But the blunt object to which I’m tied is no mountain. It’s not a centripetal force I’m fighting. All that is keeping me from taking my shot at a music career is a flimsy preconceived notion that I’ll do it someday. But “someday” has never come.

Freedom is not just for some of us. Success isn’t just for persons of a certain station in life. The only thing separating anyone from their dream is the way each individual views their plight. Will we choose to remain in bondage, or will we choose to break free? The choice is ours, and yes, it is that simple.

Let me just say, with all of y’all as my accountability partners, I choose to (Lord willing!) pick up my guitar and sing my songs. Not necessarily because I think I need to play for the masses, but because I know I need to play for myself. The way I see it, there’s nothing holding me back besides a silly little lawn chair. I can handle that, and guess what? So can you!

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