Dear Innie Friend,
I’m writing to you from Cusco, Peru today. I came to Peru for the introvert retreat in Sacred Valley and now I’m just chillin’ up here at 3,399 meters above sea level. The other day something happened to me here in Peru that I just know other introverts will relate to—at least on a metaphorical level…
I went on a day trip to Humantay Lake, which is a crystal blue lake nestled in the mountains. You have to take a three-hour bus and then hike for about an hour to get to it.
Or if you’re lazy like me, you rent a horse, thinking how nice it will be to take a meandering ride up the mountain. A nice idea, but a FAR cry from what actually happened.
So ANGRY!
I should have known by the look in my mule’s eye that things weren’t going to go as planned. He looked as if I had just crashed his retirement party and told him he had to go back to work.
“U MESSin Wit Da WRONG Mule LaDEE!”
This adorable little MoFo took me for a RIDE—which is to say that he zigzagged up the mountain, dragged me through tree branches, cut off other horses, and threatened to trample anyone that came in his path.
His favorite move was to nearly T-bone another horse in the belly before slowing down at the last moment. Meandering ride up the mountain my A**! I have never said the F-word so many times while on a horseback ride.
In my old mule’s defence, I would be grumpy too if I had to haul some lazy foreign lady’s butt up a mountain.
“OMG Da RIDe is OVER LadEE! GET OFF Meee!”
What this all has to do with introversion
Being the neurotic writer that I am, I decided that the experience had to be a metaphor for something. This is what I came up with:
In my book, The Irresistible introvert, I talk about how our thoughts are like horses (a comparison I borrowed from my dear friend, energy healer Alexa Linton). We can either choose to get on the horse and ride it to wherever it wants to take us. Or we can let it trot on by.
To add to that lovely little analogy, some thoughts are like angry, grumpy, stubborn-as-hell mules that you just KNOW are going to drag you through the branches. And yet, you get on them anyway—especially if you’re an introvert like me.
You see, we introverts love going for a good ol’ intellectual horseback ride. It’s entertaining, gives us something to do while the other humanoids engage in boring small talk.
Even when we know a thought is DESTRUCTIVE, we can’t help but give it a whirl to see where it takes us. We don’t even consider the idea that we can let that angry mule pass on by. We can choose a happier horse to ride…
Like this one:
“Hiiii! Lets B FRiendZ!” 🙂
If only I had gotten this guy, I might not have dropped F-bombs all the way up the mountain. But then I wouldn’t have had this great metaphor to share with you today. So, I guess it was worth it.
Other metaphors?
I’m curious if you can come up with anything else my experience with the stubborn mule could be a metaphor for. Please do share your ideas in the comments below!
Love,
Wow, Michaela, once again you have written something that has hit home with me. First the mule picture caught my attention (I love mules and donkeys) and then as I read the article, I thought…it’s so true. I often ruminate on thoughts that I know are counterproductive…there is something alluring to see what happens and how I’ll feel. Maybe next time I start to go down that “path”, I’ll choose a different mule! Thank you for sharing your wisdom and insights.
You’re welcome, Ina! Glad it resonated. 🙂 xo
Hi Michaela,
The only things I can think of are;
“Feel the fear and do it anyway.”
“We all have a little jackass in us, some people see it as stubborn, I see it as persistence.”
“Life is like riding a donkey, throughout the twists and turns of it, it’s best viewed as an adventure.”
“Donkey’s, zebras incognito.”
That’s all I could think of. 😉
Just a tip, donkeys like apples and carrots, they’re always your friend when you have food. lol Just ask the guide of it’s OK, some people are funny about their animals. 🙂
Other than that have fun, and don’t disappear in the thin air up there. 😉
haha thanks for sharing those James! I asked my guide if I could feed my mule a banana because that’s all I had. He just laughed and said he didn’t eat bananas. I tried.
Haha that would of worked if he was a monkey. 🙂 Being among the animals is a great learning experience. If you have any questions about country living shoot them my way. There’s a country girl in you some where. 😉
The country girl in me is very well buried! I like nature, but I like city luxuries, too. 😛
Those happen to be two Capricorn traits. The being good at business is one also, that should come as no surprise to you. I do, do my homework. 😉 I guess asking you to shovel poop is out of the question? LOL
Dear Michaela:
Your adventure with that jackass was definitely a metaphor for what some of the women I have dated may have experienced. It starts when an amazing woman takes a chance with the quiet, mysterious guy who sometimes walks apart from the herd. After all, even though she “looks” like she would prefer to ride the rodeo, she is actually a wonderful Innie who appreciates the power of a quiet gallop across the prairie. So she takes the risk of riding the range with him. But he proceeds to try to impress her by charging to loud concerts, grazing on fancy dinners, and spending endless hours hee-hawing with the posse he has assembled. After a few hours in the stable with this guy, she thinks he is just a pain in the a**. She is exhausted. He is exhausted. If he would have just galloped like the guy she met, and taken some time to stop and eat the roses like he normally does, he could have been her stallion. Instead, they both trot off into the sunset — alone.
Hahah, nice one, Chris! And so true! 🙂
I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that the horse is symbolic of the ego – or some other Jung-related thing…
“Animals also symbolize our instinctual sides. In itself a particular animal is neither good nor bad. It is part of nature, just as our instincts are part of our nature. As such, they often symbolize our shadow sides.”
Very interesting!
Michaela and other readers,
Can I relate?? “Can my truth be handled?”, is more the question and for this reason I use the same disclaimer as my mentor, take it or leave it. These are my well researched truths which resonate with me. If they resonate with you, then great. If they make you angry, it is your problem to deal with, not mine or anyone else’s.
This system works on extracting energies from certain beings, which It(The Evil) has trapped here against their wills. As the beings incarnate into these prison cells called bodies, our memories are fully erased and no one knows anything. Just like in the movie “The Matrix”; based on gnostic knowledge; the energies are harvested through this “simulation” we call “life”. Yes, you can still die and suffer horribly if you do not follow the rules. More and more are becoming aware of this reality.
This system harvests energies through excitation of the emotional bodies attached to the physical. Hence, the system tries to create as much emotional BS as It(Evil) can. Most are not batteries anymore, so the system is running out of juice and is fragmenting, which is being allowed to happen before it(Evil)’s End.. You can see this everywhere.
This system(Universe) does not run like the real creation and will be held accountable for It(Evil)’s Evil Deeds. It(Evil) will be made a victim of all of It(Evil)’s Evil, prior to being made inert.
So why this long explanation?? Both Michaela and the donkey are having energies extracted. The system juices everything to get energies, which It(Evil) cannot get enough of.
The dog eat dog system is ending and will not continue. If what I write resonates within you, great. If you seek the truth, you will find it. This is my truth and I am waiting for Evil to go to divine justice.
This shell I wear will wear out and so what. It is what is inside which is important!!!
LOL! Michaela, I’ll bet you’re fun to hang out with 🙂 Hoping I can join of the innie retreats soon…
About the angry-mule thoughts that drag us through the branches: I’ve found I need to be vigilant about recognizing one and deliberately choose NOT to climb on for the ride. It definitely takes me out of my comfort zone to stop the ruminating – my pensive nature makes me want to take one more look at that traumatic incident/bad relationship/you-name-it and it becomes such a hard habit to break. As with anything, it gets easier with practice 🙂
Well said, Racheal! Thanks for sharing. 🙂 <3
Very funny. You had me in stitches.
Thanks, Teri!
Michaela, I truly enjoyed your story and analogy. I particularly have been paying more attention to my ruminating mind over the last few years. What I realized is that since I cannot stop my mind from starting negative messages and images, I can at least re-direct my thinking to more productive thoughts. I used to think the re-direction could become exhausting since I needed to act on that new strategy several times each day. Now I realize I actually end my days feeling more content than disheartened. Therefore, I prefer NOT to ride anymore stubborn mules the rest of my life. I am only looking to connect with horses…maybe even a stallion. I suspect there are ten times more mules than horses in my journey so I have to be patient (another personal challenge). Thanks again for your insight.
Hi, Michaela: Thank you very much for this wonderful story – I relate so much to it. I only discovered the community of introverts this week and it was like stumbling upon my home planet after 50 years in exile.
You are a fantastic, funny writer! I really enjoyed reading this.
Thanks so much, Alicia. So glad you found us! 🙂
This is a late comparison to your mule riding experience, but here it goes. It’s a bit like choosing to get on a crowded train or elevator. It’s usually not worth it for an introvert like me to hop on and expect a peaceful existence. The elevator may not be bad if it’s just a few floors, but a crowded train ride can be much longer, utterly terrifying and exhausting. The combination of physical and social contact would take me down a path of anxiety and then depression that I will avoid whenever it’s possible. The contrast is getting on a nearly empty train (you may need a few people to observe and a analyze or not) and choosing a nice seat in your favorite spot. Spreading out with your iPad or a book and enjoying your self peacefully until you arrive. It’s hard for me to understand how the extroverts among us would enjoy squeezing into the crowd to chat it up and commiserate about the crowded train but I’ve observed this first hand – they love it. You can feed the extroverts small talk (e.g.,apples or carrots) but it will still drain you and they may come back for more if they spot you on another day.