2/7/07 Don't make any plans...

Connie has continued to be comfortable and is reported to be 'pinging' around the box! You can see how much she has grown as she can just about see over the door! Sarah has made a new removeable cast for Connie which can be applied over the 'robert jones' bandage and can be taken on and off for periods of time daily to help wean her off that level of support over the next couple of weeks.

I received the formal report of her treatment from Rossdale's which was interesting. She is such a resolute little foal, but knowing that there is so much wider learning coming from this and that it gives other foals hope in the future helps me know I made the right decision. It's still going to be a long journey.....

So I was asking Sarah about the likelihood of what will happen next, trying to plan when Connie and Mouse might come home. '..Don't make any plans..' she said 'one day at a time, because the course and duration may change.....' The wisdom took me straight back to a workshop I had attended with Dr Jean Boulton an amazing Complexity Consultant with a PhD in Quantum Physics. She now focuses on the issues of getting organisations to manage sustainably in these times of increasing complexity and chaos. The key message I took is that it is ok to have plans and a big picture, but also that it is important to let go of trying to manage it. We need to be fully responsive to what is happening in the here and now in order to move towards creating the end result. And of course there is never an end...

Applying this, we all share the big picture of mare and foal safe and sound out at grass. Only when the next xray is taken we can decide when the next operation will be. When the operation is over we may guess at how long it could take to heal... then we can see how comfortable Connie is, and based on that, then consider if the ground is suitable for them to go out safely etc etc. What we should not do in any complex situation is start to over plan - that cuts down our responsiveness to what is actually happening in the here and now. I wonder if this reminder is as helpful to you in any area of your life as it has been to me...?! Comments welcome!