Rachael Treasure - Dont Fence Me In: Grassroots Wisdom From a Country Gal

YEE HAH! Thank you so much for deciding to saddle up and take my book for a ride! The fact you are right here with me makes my heart sing and I hope reading Dont Fence Me In will spark a happy tune in yours too. My aim is to inspire you to make the most of each moment of every day, even in the rugged, boggy bits of life and even when you feel fenced in by circumstances.

As a novelist I am a sponge to the world. I observe life both closely and also with a distant detachment. But even more so, I study myself and my own unique brand of crazy. I attempt to watch my behaviour and belief systems from outside myself so I can see where I limit my life and impact both negatively and positively on my loved ones. Then I weave my inner discoveries into my fictional characters so as to help others.

Over many years I have learned to watch how my blocked thinking impacts on everything around me. Through that study of self-awareness, my life and my world have expanded to become so much funner. I know thats not a word but thats what this book is about not fencing in our creativity, and changing our belief patterns so we are free of restrictions that dont matter . If I want to make up a word like funner I aint going to let some old-school rule stop me. Life needs to be funner and freer . And thats what this book is about Its about not fencing your soul in! Its about leaping the mind fences you dont need any more, opening new gates into better pastures in life and finding ways to more quickly regain your centre your equilibrium or balance and peace when you do happen to get tangled in lifes wire.

Recently I had what I call my buckskin breakdown. Ive been a little more than rocky ever since and the writing of this book is helping me patch together some kind of balance in my sense of self and some kind of comfort.

In January 2013 I lost my beautiful beloved quarter horse, Dreams, in a road accident during the time when Tasmania was ablaze with bushfires. Then our family Jack Russell, Indi, died, when tied up to her kennel after being bitten by a tiger snake. Since then Id philosophically and gently carried on with life, coaching the children through the losses and taking comfort from the fact that I had had the gift of those beautiful animals in my life and would continue to always feel their energies even if they werent physically here with us any longer.

But then I went to the horse show Cavalia in Melbourne and the sight of a galloping buckskin quarter horse just like Dreams released a torrent of grief, rage and despair. Layer upon layer of hurt and disappointment from the loss of my farm, from the divorce, from my childhood seemed to rush like a flooding river up from my core. I couldnt stop the tears, the fear and the hysteria. You see, Id not allowed the grief for the death of my four-legged babies to fully show itself. Or the fact I missed my land, my cattle, lambing time, the shearing shed. Id tried to coach myself through the experience lovingly and with grace, but had I inadvertently suppressed grief I had to feel to process ?

Ive heard that grief takes a full four seasons to really work through your body. Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. Are you grieving someone right now? Or something? If you are, give yourself time. Lots of time. Cherish the memories but dont wallow. And if a tidal wave of emotion hits you at some point months and months later, let it take you. Eventually you will find a rock to cling to. Someone, perhaps with four legs and fur or a two-legged being who has love for you, or something, like a sunrise or a rainbow, will make you feel a glimmer of hope. For me, the grief is still a work in progress, but this book is making me feel better and I thank you for sharing yourself with me while you read.

As a country gal, this book is also a celebration of the can-do Jillaroos! In American culture, cowgirls are revered and celebrated, but we rural women in Australia dont have as much cultural kudos. Most city folk associate us with the Country Womens Association and baking scones. Its about time the world knew that grassroots, born-to-be-outside girls exist Down Under and we have our own version of cowgirl wisdom! Sprinkled throughout the book are little messages from my real-life cowgirl friend, Luella, who lives down the road and trains racehorses with a bunch of hilarious and gutsy girls. Its their daily friendship and sense of fun via text messages that keeps me smiling and from feeling alone. I hope this glimpse into our divine friendship gives you inspiration to surround yourself with positive and good people too, the types who want to see you gallop in life, not tie you to the hitching rail.

Also woven with love into this book are my close links with soils, seasons and the cycles of life, death, decay and new life. Once you understand these cycles, and are consciously witness to natures miracles every day, the little daily problems slip away.