The Mule... a lesson in the pause & trust

I wrote the following reflection in a blog post in 2010 when I spent several weeks working on a biological preserve in Ecuador. Teacher Appreciation Week got me to think of the Mule I encountered on one of my job assignments and the lessons of pausing in the moments of teaching and trusting in others I find so invaluable in the teaching profession. I hope you enjoy this post.

The Mule

I smell. I am soaking in my sweat. My lungs are burning and my legs feel like jelly. My back could use a rest. However, with that all said my morning with the mule was pretty awesome. I had heard stories about this particular mule from my niece (as she got to know him very well this past Tuesday). I was given a hard plastic tube switch to use to get the mule to move. But I am kind to all animals, small, large, smelly, and stubborn… I made a vow to myself that beyond tapping the mule that is as far as I would go to use the switch. I made friends with the mule, putting on my work gloves and petting his head, ears, and neck. All was grand as we traveled down the mountain to the market to sell the freshly squeezed milk that is until about five minutes into our walk. At that point, the mule just wanted to eat all the luscious greenery. I clicked my tongue, encouraged the repressed beast, I pulled the reins, and I even tapped him with my hard plastic switch. He would not budge. It got very frustrating. The mule would start and stop continuing to eat as he pleased. I tried walking along with him you know like we were partners, then from behind as he really was the boss of me. Nothing seemed to do the trick. In reality, I would be completely embarrassed as I had a deadline to make and I was going to miss it because of my inability to control this large animal (even Grace got it down & up the mountain). Yet, my reality was not in the USA. It was in a cloud forest surrounded foreign sounds and sights. My two choices were simple. Force the mule to move and exhaust myself in the process or let the mule move when he was ready and be in this moment of my reality. I chose the road less traveled by me and that was to let the mule move when he was ready. And guess what? After several minutes of enjoying the peace of my environment, the mule began to walk down the mountain. Every once and awhile I would grab some grass and feed him along the way yet he continued to walk. I was able to get down the mountain in an hour, record time too.

I met the women at the bottom and helped them unhook the 40 liters of milk off the mule and the milk truck guy poured the contents into its holding tank. I went to the market made some purchases for the volunteers and for me, I bought myself a coke and chocolate wafers. The women tried to get me to ride on the mule to the top. I kindly refused, took the reigns and began my ascent to the top. And you know what, the mule did it again. He stopped at an overlook and ate his veggies while I had to make a choice about what to do. I could have forced the issue, after all, I had gotten the mule down the hill I can so easily get him up the hill. Nah, I let him be and I got to really feel the breeze and enjoy to overlook. The climb up was not fun as I am a weakling and as my sister Margaret would say, “You ain’t got any muscles, Mary!” but I just kept putting one step in front of the other. Eventually, I found myself to the top. It took a lot longer then I had hoped and I am content with that. Could I have gotten the mule to move faster? Easier? I am not sure. I let go of trying to force my will on the mule and in the end, the mule walked. The mule did a few other things too, he stopped a couple of times on the way up the mountain. He did not seem tired at all yet each time he stopped I took full advantage of the rest. He knew I needed a breather even if I didn’t… I like the picture of me in front of the mule pulling the rope. As much as I was pulling, the mule was pushing me, even more, to keep moving forward.