With Purdie the miniature horse in the world, suddenly everything seemed brighter | Hannah Jane Parkinson

At the beginning of a new year after an awful one, a trip to an animal sanctuary helped to pull me from the depths

It is early January 2023. The beginning of a new year after an awful one. I’m hoping to slough it off with fresh snowfall, or a promising work project, maybe a surprise Taylor Swift drop; something wholesome to kickstart the year.

It’s a close friend’s birthday, a date that secured its place in history back when members of Maga Facebook groups rushed the seat of US democracy in a frothing rage at everything and nothing.