It Happened Again.

Gidget girl eYou’d think I’d know better by now. That I’d be prepared for what always seem to happen when you get a new dog.

This time I thought maybe it would be different. She came with the name Gidget. I love the name. It fits her perfectly. She is a Gidget all the way. No doubt, what-so-ever.

But then it happened again.

The nicknames that seem to just fall out of my mouth without thought. The name Gidget rarely now spoken in our home.

It started with Lil’ G.

Then came snuggle butts.

And then there is Scootle-dee-doodle-dee. This one gets turned into a song that I feel compelled to sing to the little dog that has taken over my heart, and who I would hold all day long and sing to her if I could.

Next came Miss G.

Then as if too much to say, I shorten to just “G.”

Let’s not forget she is also my Buddha dog. And Buddha she becomes when she sits in her quiet, contemplative stance while sitting on my lap when we sit in the kitchen gazing out the front door. I love those moments of just being still with her. It grounds me. It makes me feel safe. It makes me so happy.

Short stuff, Sweet one, Gidg, and Gidg-miester, round out the nicknames this 9 lb bundle of joy has so far received in eight months since she has been here.

I’m sure I’ve only just begun.

Then…and Now.

frankie and cole 20 months eCole was just 20 months old when he began visiting Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dogs statue at Bookworm Gardens.

It has now become a tradition that he visits there every year and has his picture taken with Frankie.

Now five years old, this is his picture with Frankie taken recently.

frankie and cole e

What a gift it is to me to know that Frankie continues to inspire even though she is no longer physically here. For all the days I cried for the loss of her, I now rejoice in the joy that she left behind and the many generations she will continue to have a positive impact on.

I’m so grateful when someone shares a photo of a little one with Frankie’s likeness, like Cole’s mom, Ann did on my Facebook page. It is a reminder of all the blessings Frankie was, and will always be.

If you are new to my blog, you can learn more about Frankie through the books I’ve written about her.

S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g Beyond My Comfort Zone

IMG_2101 12I did it! I finally did it!

So maybe this isn’t going to sound like a big deal to some. But to me, it is.

I’ve been practicing yoga for about six years now, I believe. I lost track of how long, really. All I know is that I can’t live without it now.

But one thing I’ve always wanted to do was to do my yoga practice on my deck. But the chicken in me always won the battle every time I’d feel the impulse to want to do so.

I’d worry the neighbors would see me and think I’m nuts. Well, I am a bit nuts and rather like it that way. The older I get the more I embrace this just being me thing, which is quite liberating.

Today, a beautiful not too hot, but just right kind of morning in Wisconsin, the impulse hit me again. I could hear the chicken bawking in my head, “You’ll look silly! What if someone sees you?”

But it was time to quiet that loud, obnoxious chicken and stretch myself beyond my comfort zone.

As I rolled out my mat and placed my purple blocks at the front of the the mat, I was already beginning to feel in this new peaceful place inside. This. was. going. to. be. amazing. I was already feeling the positive effects.

And oh how it was!  Many of my poses have me looking upward at some point in the pose. To see the open, blue sky with whispy clouds floating by, and the rich green of the leaves on the tree above me, it felt like the earth was wrapping itself around me saying, “Welcome home. Welcome home.”

I truly didn’t want my practice to end today. I held each pose longer than usual. I drank each one in as the peace of those moments melted down to my soul.

I thought, “This was a whisper of my heart for so long that I kept pushing away.”  Here I was in this moment of finally rising to what had been calling me, those whispers that were finally answered, leaving me with a divine calm that still has me floating on a cloud two hours later as I finish writing this post.  Namaste.

You may notice on the left hand side of the photo what appears to be a dog bed and blanket. Underneath is Gidget who is practicing her own type of yoga. I posted this photo in a Facebook group I belong to earlier today and someone said:  “That blanket is her yoga mat. She just prefers to be under it to achieve peaceful meditation. Serenity!” I do believe she is right!