4 Mules

3 of the 4 friendly mules

Moving your life to a new state is a bit of an upheaval, and four friendly mules are making it easier to settle.

This week, we have been exploring our new home. While we’d seen photos and videos of our rental home, we had not physically seen it until we moved. We did not know that the yard was so big, nor did we know that our neighbors to the south are mules.

The past two evenings, we’ve taken a stroll, and upon passing the mules, they’ve ambled across their pasture to greet us. My boys were thrilled, and by the end of our first walk, each of the mules had a name. At the conclusion of our second, my youngest son said goodnight to his new friends, grabbed my hand and pleaded, “Mom, can we come visit the mules when we move again?”

We had spent exactly 3 nights in this new house, another move is not imminent, but moving away and leaving friends is top of mind.

I smiled and said, “Of course.”

I am always amazed at what I learn from my kids. They show me that the simplest of things can make us feel rooted and connected to a new place. They remind me that stopping to pet the mules, pausing to watch the rushing water in the river, and taking a few extra minutes to bob up and down on the teeter totter is worth it.

The day before we moved, my boys spent most of the day playing with their closest friends; they were out in the front yard talking with our next door neighbor until well after 10pm. Then the next day, after several hugs and a long goodbye, we drove away.

I get it. Leaving people you are close to is hard. It’s emotional, and while it comes with hope, it also comes without certainty of what type of friendships you will develop in a new place. Friends are not replaceable.

I know that these four mules we are calling Cinder, Lupine, Arrowleaf, and Pearl are not human friends, those will come as we get to know our new community, but I am so grateful that my boys are finding connections here. They are learning the names of the wildflowers they see along the trail and expanding the map of our new place with each new canyon we explore. I think this is how the upheaval settles. You spend time noticing what’s around you and figuring out how you are a part of it.

Who knew that part of this intimacy would involve the habits of four friendly mules!