My horse, my mirror

Bless my dad. Talked to him on Friday night and he'd been off to his retired vet friend talking to him about Max and his bumps in the armpits. He also commented on Max's behaviour recently and said, "If I read you and Max right, then I think you'll get through this with thought and patience. He's teaching you a lot about how to deal with your own stuff as well as his. He's holding a mirror up. Can you see what he's showing you?"

My dad then reminded me of when I was a kid, and would get so scared of things unknown...

"But dad, it it's like he has a panic attack, and I can't bring him back from that."

"Who does that remind you of, eh? You used to do the same, and it would break my heart, how anxious you'd get. It would take ages to talk you down. You've got to do that for Max now. You've got to remember and use that experience of how you felt to help Max. You'll help yourself, too."

"Huh. Yeah, I get your point, but I was a tiny girl, and this is half a ton of muscle and crazy."

"Yes, but that's your lesson. Max feels what you once felt. You mirror each other and he's in your life big and bold. How did you feel? How can you make him not feel like that? He's your pupil and your teacher. It's about patience and trust. You've got the foundation already so build on it."

Max has definitely taken my head down some roads that have changed my mental landscape, made me look more closely at him, and at myself. He will mirror me literally by adopting my stance for a click treat, but as my father wisely points out, Mirror Max reflects so much more than what is physical.