I was playing the game “Headbands” with my dog the other day.
He seemed to have a hard time guessing what his card said.
Australian Shepards are supposed to be smart, so I wasn’t sure why he was having such a hard time.
He played the game well as he sought clues in the yes/no answers to his questions. “Am I an animal? Do I have four legs? Do I chase balls? Do I live with a great family?” Yet he couldn’t seem to grasp the correct answer … “I am a dog.” I thought maybe he was losing his mojo.
Then he looked at me with that all knowing gaze and I finally got it.
He was beyond smart.
So when he asked me the next question “Am I the infinite, interconnected, harmonious flow of energy that many call LOVE which is also known as the fabric of the Universe?” I simply said yes.
We stopped playing the game at that point.
Instead we walked outside marveling at the how the natural world was doing its thing. As if it knew exactly what to do and how to do it. I had plenty of time to notice the sights, smells, colors, and surprises as he frequently stopped to “smell the roses” and water everything else. It was really more of a meander than a walk. Giving me the opportunity to notice that I experienced more of nature’s gifts with him than walking on my own.
Such a wise teacher, this “dog.”
Sometimes he surprises me. Like the day he taught me that size is relative and perception is in the … perception … of the beholder. Illustrated by the photo below.
I wish he had taught my physics class.
I might have actually learned something and had a lot more fun. It would have been a “sweet” experience.
I also appreciate how he demonstrates how to Be in the Now.
Eckhart Tolle has nothing on him when I walk in the door to be greeted as if I appeared out of thin air. What a celebration of the miracle of “walking in” to a new scene … a new moment. The energy is contagious and I totally understand why dogs wag their tails and people spontaneously offer up the “happy dance.”
When I pop out to the car to get my last bag and return 15 seconds later to the same response, I don’t know whether to value the ability to be truly and delightfully present or check for dementia.
Just when I think I know something, he reminds me that not everything is as it seems.
Like when he quizzes me on the nature of reality with questions like “what is real?” and “who am I really?” I just never know what “game” he will come up with next.
One thing I know for sure, I have a lot to learn from that wise being I thought was a dog.
Peace be with you and with all. No exceptions.
Most agree pets are therapeutic. But a robotic seal? In Japan, Paro has been offering companionship to nursing home patients since 2005. The seniors love this furry animatronic seal! Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology found interactions with Paro improved mental sharpness in Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Best results were from those reporting Paro enjoyment. Seems that furry robot boosts moods and increases resistant to stress. Robot seal love – my new favorite thing.
Learn the one essential skill that allows you to face any challenge with confidence, sturdiness, and inner calm.
More than a technique. It’s a game changer.
Three months ago, I unexpectedly entered into a relationship with a horse.
I met Zor during a visit to Liberty Stables in Florida, where I had gone to spend time with a friend’s horses. I had no particular expectations. I have no background with horses, no training, and no experience in equine-assisted therapy. I simply met this magnificent Friesian, and something quietly familiar unfolded between us.
I fell in love.
The women who arrive in my classes, retreats, and therapy sessions are sincerely looking for healing, expansion, clarity, or sometimes just a little room to breathe.
They are thoughtful women, deeply engaged with the people and work they love. Rarely do they arrive because they want another spiritual philosophy. Most are carrying something much more ordinary.
A life that has become full. Beautiful in many ways, but crowded.
About twenty-five years ago, I was driving with a colleague to a local conference. As we approached the hotel entrance, I noticed an open parking spot near the front door.
“There’s a spot,” I said, pointing to the right. He drove past it.
A few seconds later, another one appeared. He drove past that one, too. Then I pointed to a third. “There’s a spot.” Without the slightest hesitation, Dan replied, “I’ll leave that for someone else.” And he calmly parked much farther away. As we walked to the entrance, I asked about that statement.
During the Seeding the Light Gathering, I had the privilege of hosting Pascual and Jose Tomas in our home.
They feel like family as this was their second visit to New Jersey. We’ve also spent a week together in Damanhur and the Temples of Humankind in Italy. I’ve sat in many ceremonies with Pascual in Peru’s Sacred Valley. His flute playing often carried me up mountain trails in the thin air and hot sun.
I planned to work a bit, complete some projects, and enjoy slow days with plenty of relaxation.
All of that certainly occurred, but beneath it all, something else began quietly inviting my attention.
The plane had begun its slow fall toward the earth when a sharp ache pierced my ears. Half-dozing, half-aware, I surfaced into the moment just as the toddler in front of me woke with a scream that broke her open. The sound wasn’t defiance or misbehavior. It was pain.
I felt her small body struggling to make sense of something she couldn’t name.
Her mother bent over her with the tenderness of someone trying very hard to be a good parent. But her soothing came dressed in urgency, in the quiet pressure to behave, to use words, to be okay, to not disturb those seated around her. Her voice shook with the effort of managing her child’s distress and her own rising shame.
