Checking the Cost: Lessons Learned from South Africans and Pony Trimming

I remember being at Grandpa’s place near Longford one evening and herding his small circus of miniature ponies and donkeys into the small pen closest to the house. Our goal for that evening was simple. Using a trusty old pair of nippers, a rasp, and a hoof knife we found in the shed, we were to trim the mini stud, the jack, and one of the jennies that was running around the pen. The two gentlemen weren’t fun to trim, but as we wrangled the jenny we knew we’d be in for a really tough time. One wouldn’t expect a little donkey to require grandpa, my formidably sized father, and myself for a trimming, but that was the case. The little burro squirmed, kicked, bit, reared, and did everything in her power to keep from being trimmed. About the time the struggle was reaching its climax, Grandma walked out and reminded us that dinner was ready and it was getting dark. Now, this made me pretty happy because I enjoy food and I was tired of fighting a miniature donkey. However, Grandpa knew that we’d probably have to be out there a little longer, because this needed done. A pretty fair number of old horsemen will share the secret that “horses can’t tell time”, meaning that you’re on their schedule. The same is true for miniature donkeys, so we finished trimming and rasping down hooves until the job was done. Grandpa knew not to consider time, because we needed to do what was beneficial for little Bethly the donkey.

This reminds me of a really cool experience I had while we were in South Africa for ILSSO. We visited the farm of a gentleman named Andre Cloete, who shared this little bit of profound wisdom with us. When asked for some advice about farming, he said he rarely considers the cost of helping plants grow. In essence, he always wanted to make sure the plant had what it needed to thrive, despite any cost he might incur.

To me, this message is much deeper than simply looking at plant health. So often, we find ourselves questioning if we have enough time or money to follow through with something that could benefit us. For me, I struggle with taking time to reflect as much as I should, and reenergize when I’m feeling drained. I question doing activities with friends when I know they would strengthen our bonds because I might be concerned about how I’m managing my money. On top of that, we can be too quick to consider the costs of helping others. Whether we’re hesitant to commit ourselves to service or we simply don’t feel like we can make room in our schedule for meaningful projects to benefit others, we often have a hard time feeling comfortable with these things.

A challenge I have for myself and all of us is to stop worrying so much about the cost, and focus on the growth we’re encouraging. Take time for yourself, and make sure to “treat yoself” every once in a while. Just as importantly, take time to benefit and grow others, and don’t shy away from the opportunity to serve because you fear the costs. I’m not asking you to completely pull yourself away from managing yourself, but we should all be more receptive to growing ourselves rather than fearing the costs.