The horse haunted me for days. At the time, it was just a video that crossed my feed. A black and white stallion flaunting its wild mane to a remix of Stayin’ Alive. One of countless videos that give me a chuckle when I’m perusing Facebook.
I watched it, smiled and moved on. But it didn’t end there.
The animal danced through my dreams. I’m not sure why. Maybe because we have the same hair. Or perhaps the unapologetic tossing of the head, the defiant flipping of the locks as if it was strolling out of the salon after a blow-out, stopping traffic without a care.
I needed to see it again. I couldn’t sleep. Find me, it dared. So, I Googled. Horse flipping mane to Saturday Night Fever.
I don’t need to tell you that it worked because that’s how we find the impossible these days. And that’s how he re-appeared. SD Daddy Cool. An award-winning Gypsy Cob stallion that lived on the River Lane Ranch in Alberta. Dozens of photos, videos of the horse graced the website, along with historical information about Gypsy Cobs and a profile on Daddy Cool. But what struck me was the Ranch’s callout to the significance of 2026 – the Year of the Horse.
While I can’t say that I plan my life based on the astrological calendars, whether Western or Eastern, I know that according to the Chinese horoscope, I was born in the year of the monkey. And during the last Lunar Year of the Monkey in 2016, a publisher made my lifelong dream come true and accepted my first book for publication. Coincidence perhaps, but there’s something fascinating and mystical about coincidences.
I watched Daddy Cool’s video again, and again, tapping my foot to the beat as he flipped his gorgeous locks, while Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg rapped to the Bee Gees tune. Inspiration prompted me to post it on Facebook with a caption, urging my followers to stroll into Monday like the poised stallion. A few people gave a thumbs up, maybe out of loyalty, maybe I gave them a smile. Maybe they didn’t see the word that flashed in my mind when I watched this horse strut to the music.
Freedom.
That’s the beauty of art. No two people see the same, feel the same. I saw in the horse, what I saw in an engineer who gave up a career to become a Buddhist Monk. Who, accompanied by a rescue dog from the streets of India, led a group of Monks on a peace walk through a nation in turmoil, constrained, built ironically on the premise of freedom.
Today, the Lunar Year of the Horse begins. And the significance would mean less if I didn’t remind you that the previous Lunar Year, that began on January 20th, 2025, was the Year of the Snake.
“In a world where so many of us carry invisible weight…letting go is not giving up — it’s choosing freedom. Every step feels lighter when we stop dragging yesterday behind us.” Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra, leader of the Walk for Peace.
Happy Lunar New Year.