There are some things one resists in life for one reason or another, usually because the misgivings you have about them seem to outweigh by far any possible benefit that anyone could possibly see in them. Then someone close to you takes the plunge and you wait and see what will happen. Will she fall through the ice, come a cropper and need to be rescued? If so, you are waiting in the wings to help. But she does not. On the contrary, she seems to be enjoying the experience. Perhaps there is something in that thing I have been resisting after all. Perhaps it is time to take the plunge as well. And so I have.
Faces
Familiar faces, they are there to see … in the images and videos that they share … and you can communicate with each other … in real time if they are also online … and not to mention sharing all the other interesting bits and pieces that people find and feel are worthwhile passing on. Yes, I am talking about Facebook. And yes, I resisted its insidious pull for a long time but now I have followed Vicki’s lead and have taken the plunge. So far it has been a rather welcome and welcoming experience.
There is another reason why I have decided to join Facebook. It is to take this Horses for Humans blog onto a platform which has all of the infrastructure built in to allow the kind of debate and interaction with people in various parts of the world, which the WordPress platform cannot provide. For the time being it is my intention to publish the blog both here with an entry point in a Facebook group called Horses for Humans, which will make it possible for everyone who is interested to contribute to any debate with text, images and videos, not to mention easily accessible links to other online resources.
The Horses and Humans Facebook group cover photo
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Click here to join us in the Horses and Humans group on Facebook!
Book
When Vicki and I started our sabbatical year, I said that I hoped to write a book. In formal terms I did not. Yet at a certain point in time I noted that this blog had turned out to be the equivalent of a book and more. From the feedback that I have received from around the world, it seems as though the blog appeals to the growing number of people who, like me, are looking to become the kind of human a horse seeks to be with and looks to for friendship and guidance. Yet I have always been aware that this blog has only been read by a fraction of those people.
In a moment of madness or perhaps inspiration – the future will tell – I decided to produce a book containing highly edited excerpts from this blog which I felt could be useful for this purpose. However, this blog contains so much seemingly useful information that it seemed wiser to break it down into two separate books. As you know, this blog was set up when Vicki and I started preparing for our move from Australia to Europe in search of the master who dances with horses. This also appeared to me to be an appropriate title for both books, because ultimately the question is not who that master is but where we find them. Do we not all have the potential to become a master who dances with horses?
And so the title of the books has become In Search of the Master Who Dances with Horses. The first volume is subtitled Challenge, which essentially reflects the challenge that we were faced with. It has just been published on Amazon and Smashwords (and should be out in the Apple and other major online retail outlets within the very near future – see the links below). The second book is called Growth and I am hoping to publish it within the next month or so. Your feedback is welcome. And if you read either book and you feel that you have got something out of it, would you please be so kind as to leave a review on the website where you obtained it. The more reviews a book receives, the higher up the publicity list it features, and the higher up the publicity rankings it is, the easier it is to find by those who are looking for some direction towards becoming the kind of human a horse seeks to be with.
Earnings
Yes, it is true that book sales will channel earnings in my direction. I do not wish to conceal this. What I do wish to say is this. Horses have helped me profoundly in helping me rediscover my humanity and I am therefore profoundly committed to helping them and their carers. I believe that I can do this by doing what I do best.
Everyone tells me I can write reasonably well. It seems to me that ultimately horses and their carers will benefit more from me writing for them rather than continuing to produce tedious translations of financial and legal texts for organisations whose primary purpose is to chase profits at the expense of all that is really of value (or so it sometimes seems). This is my current source of income and, while it pays the bills, I would much rather it be a source which comes from helping horses and their carers.
Links
Here are the Facebook and other links to where you can find Horses and Humans, the book and me.
Horses and Humans on Facebook
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/horsesandhumans/ (the group for the blog etc.)
- https://www.facebook.com/horsesandhumans (Horses and Humans Publications)
The Book
- Smashwords (all formats including Kindle): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/481481
- Amazon (USA): amazon.com/Search-Master-Who-Dances-Horses-ebook/dp/B00O2XP8I0/
- Amazon (UK): amazon.co.uk/Search-Master-Who-Dances-Horses-ebook/dp/B00O2XP8I0/
- Amazon (CA): http://www.amazon.ca/Search-Master-Who-Dances-Horses-ebook/dp/B00O2XP8I0/
- Amazon (AU): http://www.amazon.com.au/Search-Master-Who-Dances-Horses-ebook/dp/B00O2XP8I0/
Me
Congratulations! I’m very happy for you. About earnings, obviously you’ve spent a fortune on seeking a master who dances with horses all over the world that not too many people can afford or willing to do so. I would say why not!? You have every rights to charge for your books after spending so much time, energy, effort and money for your tirelessly and passionately searching of a master for your horses. I’ll order your book on amazon soon!
Welcome to the “new world” Andrew 😀
Like you, I resisted joining Facebook until a year ago. I was utterly flabbergasted at what I had missed in terms of invaluable information, knowledge and shared wisdom. At the same time, I do warn you that you will be exposed to and sometimes actually smothered by the abuse, violence, stupidity and mindlessness that also permeates the world of horses, animals and humans. So I applaud your decision to take the plunge and help expand the universe with your more enlightened perspective, yet I’d like to suggest that you be prepared to either accept or protect your soul from an onslaught of negativity that may await you. I wish you all the best.
Welcome to Facebook Andrew! It really is a wonderful way to communicate and keep up with old and new friends!
Heather
Andrew,
I am thrilled for you to make money with your writing about your journey with horses! You deserve to and we all benefit from your having more time away from a “normal” job! I can see that I will not be able to keep up with all of the wonderful knowledge everyone will share on FB, but will try! Thanks for bringing so many thoughtful people together.