Thank Goodness It's Monday #316

MISTY MAGIC, PONY POWER

AND SALT-WATER COWBOYS

EHFTB-FTWMIH. Regular readers of TGIM and long-time friends and acquaintances of mine know that one of the personal philosophies I often spout is “Everything Happens For The Best – For Those Who Make It Happen.” (I detailed the origins most recently in TGIM #300 if you care to check it out.)

Point is: EHFTB-FTWMIH is an approach to life events that some folks find a little Pollyanna-ish … a bit simplistic … maybe too naïve for this complex and confrontational world. And even I will agree that there can be situations that appear to be far from a “For The Best” solution.

So I’m ever alert for real life stories that I think help support my position.

And today, although I’ve been enjoying a bit of vacation time-off-for-good-behavior, I’ve come across an entertaining (I hope) EHFTB-FTWMIH story worth sharing.

The story begins with a fire. Two fires, to be precise. Which occurred in the 1920s on the opposite sides of Chincoteague, Virginia (where I’m visiting with friends.)

The conflagrations burned out of control for the lack of effective firefighting equipment. Chincoteaguers were determined to not let it happen again, so a small group organized themselves into a volunteer fire company.

So far, so good. But not yet the stuff of a EHFTB-FTMIH-worthy narrative.

The challenge for this not-so-prosperous Delmarva Peninsula seafood harvesting and chicken-raising community was how to pay for the firefighting equipment they needed.

Make-It-Happen thinking to the rescue. Someone suggested auctioning the wild horses that grazed on nearby Assateague Island.

Legend claimed that the sturdy-but-small “ponies” were descendents of wild mustangs who swam to shore after a Spanish galleon sunk off the coast. The less imaginative (and current-day genetic testing) say their origins trace back to 1600s when early island settlers turned their herds loose to graze on the island tax-free.

Either way, the pony roundup and auction idea proved to have the makings of –

A winner. In 1925 Pony Penning Day and an Auction was born and the tradition continues each July. Run by Chincoteague firemen turned “Salt Water Cowboys,” the herd is rounded up and, on slack tide, they swim across the channel between the islands. The foals are auctioned off to keep the herd at an eco-sensitive size of 150 horses and to fill the “I wanna pony” dream of kids of all ages.

Sound somewhat familiar? Well, the 80+ year celebration routinely makes international headlines. And in 1947 a version of the story won a permanent place in children’s literature when author Marguerite Henry penned the now-beloved classic Misty of Chincoteague which later made it to the big screen and led to a second book featuring Misty’s foal Stormy.

Happens-for-the-best Pony Power. This year more than 25,000 turned out for swim day. In all, 68 foals were sold at the auction for an average price of $1,378 each, earning $93,725 for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, according to an unofficial tally.

Salt-water cowboys and Chincoteague ponies 2011

While still maintaining a substantial bay-related oyster, crab and such community, tourism is the core of the island’s life.

Travel related websites rate Chincoteague/Assateague as one of the Top 10 beach destinations. Misty’s footprints are memorialized under the old movie house marquee. The ranch where she frolicked is a mini museum and she’s “preserved” there with Stormy. (There’s a swell spirit-of-P.T. Barnum sign out front that, to draw in passers-by, reads “See the real Misty” – sidestepping the reality that, were she alive, she’d nearly be ready to collect Social Security.) Old time bay men sell old duck-hunting decoys for thousands of dollars and newly-carved works for considerable sums.

EHFTB-FTWMIH. By the way, back in 1925 the Chincoteague volunteer firemen got their equipment after the first pony penning: a 750-gallon American La France pumper with 2000 feet of hose. And there has never been a catastrophic fire on Chincoteague since.

TGIM Takeaway: As I’ve said before, you must take action for anything to turn out “For The Best.” You must be ever alert for opportunities to triumph in the face of adversity.

And it’s not easy. You can’t be a passive bystander. You must be constantly and consistently preparing for the future. And when challenges arise you must rally that preparation and confront them. It isn’t enough to want the best. Continually challenge yourself to know what you’re going to do to get to where you want to be. Effort makes achievement.

Although it worked for the Chincoteaguers --

Don't horse around. Make the effort. Make It Happen – for the best.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com   

P.S.  The local Delmarva paper has 2011 auction details and appealing “I finally got my pony” stories HERE