Understanding the Present Moment & Meditation in a New Way. I Think I Finally Get it!

Posted by Barbara Techel

2013-07-27_18.28.10My meditation. With Joie, July 2013.

Last Thursday I started a 6-week class called “Who Am I?” It is a class being taught by David Van Handel who created the Self-Awareness Healing and Training Method.

I almost didn’t sign up for the class because I won’t be able to attend this coming Thursday due to another commitment. But something urged me to sign up anyway, so I followed that feeling.  Boy, am I glad I did!

There are 13 women in the class, which I find fascinating in itself being there are no men in the class. We range from 22, to middle age and up.  Ten minutes into the class I knew I was exactly in the right place at this time in my life.  Did you ever just know that?  It is a great space to be in when that happens. As I listened to David I knew I wanted more of what he is teaching.

I felt so at home with everything he was saying. He talked about ego and the mind, as well as what grace truly is. The more he talked about grace, which are steps to ultimate healing and getting back to the place we originated from, the more I know I want more of this. Like anything in life though, it takes practice. But more important, as I am realizing, it takes awareness.

We’ve all heard about the benefits of meditation and being present. But how easy is that to do, right?  Especially when we get so caught up in the “busyness” and “doing” of our everyday lives.

I’ve tried meditating. Sitting in a chair, eyes closed, trying to clear my mind, but always get this overwhelming anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. I end up getting frustrated and quit.

David shared a story that really helped me to understand being in the present moment and meditation. Having just moved back to Wisconsin after living in Conneticut the past 15 years or so, he is awaiting his license to be reinstated to practice therapy again in Wisconsin.  Having a few hoops to jump through and taking longer than he anticipated, he was driving down the highway one day wondering what he could do in the meantime.

A sign appeared. Literally. Bus Drivers Wanted. He thought to himself, hmmm, I’ve always thought it would be fun to drive a bus. Instead of dismissing the thought, he decided to act on it. Long story, short, he currently is a bus driver for 1st graders.

The really cool part of this story, and listening to our intuition, is that what he discovered by driving bus for these sweet little kids. During those hours he is totally in the present moment.  As he shared, driving a bus with parents children on board, and all that comes with that, you just have to be present.

When you are in the present moment you are also then in a form of meditation. All your other thoughts slip from your mind.

It was an aha moment for me!  The times I am truly in the present moment are when I am with my dogs. While I knew this in a way, I now feel it on an even deeper level. They are my meditation. Whether walking Kylie, or brushing her, or snuggling with her, I realize now in a more profound way that in those moments nothing else is present in my mind.

How we get to living more in the present moment and finding our meditation is going to be different for each of us.  Talking to my dear friend, Cassy, it is when she paints. It explains her drive to paint also as everything else falls away when she can be at the easel.  For me, everything else falls away when I can be with Kylie, and every other dog I’ve had.

Driving home from class last Thursday so much more about life made sense to me. It put me back into this peaceful place I feel like I’ve been trying so hard to get back to.  I can hardly wait for the next class in two weeks!  I’ll share more aha insights as I have them over the next few weeks.

Meeting Charlie Brown the Handicapable Dachshund. Be Still My Heart.

Posted by Barbara Techel

charlie 1200If you follow me on Facebook, you likely noticed my profile photo of me holding this Dapper Dachshund.  His name is Charlie Brown and is also known as the Handicapable Doxie.  You can find him on Facebook. I’m sure he’d be thrilled if you gave his page a like.  I had the honor of meeting him while in Asheville, NC last week.

It just so happened that I posted some photos talking about the River Arts District and the Dachshund pottery I had purchased.  Jo, a Facebook friend noticed where I was and tagged Kristin Hyland Dryden who is the mom of Charlie Brown.  Little did I know they live in a neighboring city to Asheville.  She contacted me and asked if she could meet me and bring Charlie Brown, as well as their other Dachshund Gunner.

This would turn out to be the highlight of my trip!  Now don’t get me wrong, I love Asheville and all the culture, restaurants, and site seeing we did. But give me the chance to meet another Dachshund and one in a wheelchair, well, that is a right where my heart wants to be.

We agreed to meet at Starbucks in Biltmore Village (right outside the Biltmore Estate).  John and I arrived early to grab a coffee and tea. It was a warm fall day and the sun felt good as we sat outside waiting for Charlie Brown and his family to arrive.

After a few moments I looked across the parking lot and my heart caught in my throat.  There he was!  His big ears flapping in the wind, rolling happily in his wheels, making his way across the parking lot. I jumped to my feet and made my way toward him.  I immediately bent down and took his little face in my hands. Emotion overcame me. There is nothing like the love of a Dachshund.

After greeting Gunner too, I stood up and gave Kristin a hug and shook her husband Rick’s hand. It was then that Kristin got tears in her eyes and told me how she has wanted to thank me for helping give her hope when Charlie Brown first went down three years ago.  She shared with me that while Charlie Brown was in surgery she researched on the Internet to find out more about Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD).

Like me, when Frankie was first diagnosed in 2006, Kristin was scared. She didn’t know what Charlie Brown’s life would be like if the surgery didn’t work. Luckily she found my website and that gave her the hope and peace of mind she needed.  I hugged her close as she shared this with me. This is my joy. Knowing that by sharing my story about Frankie, I was able to help someone else.

After we talked for awhile I asked if I could hold Charlie Brown. The moment Kristin placed him in my arms my heart felt home. This is who I am, I thought. This is what makes me feel alive.  My mom’s comment about the photo I posted on Facebook couldn’t be more true also, “You are never as happy as when you have a doxie in your arms.”

Meeting Charlie Brown filled me with immense joy. I look forward to the day I hold a new little one of my own in my arms. It will be a day when I once again feel complete.

I really didn’t want to say goodbye to Charlie Brown or his family. But I know we will be forever friends now. Our love and devotion of these special needs doxie’s brought us together and I will always carry them in my heart.

The Love Behind this Tea Cup.

Posted by Barbara Techel

cupA few weeks before we left on vacation to visit North Carolina, I noticed a chip in my favorite tea cup.  I’m not even sure how it got there. I actually felt sad when I discovered it.  To add to it, it was right where I’d sip my tea from so there was no way getting around not noticing it was there.

It didn’t really have all that much sentimental value to it. I had bought it at a garage sale years ago. It caught my eye, sitting there all alone on the table, because it is my favorite color periwinkle. Looking at the sweet little cup and saucer just made me so happy, so I had to bring it home. I don’t even recall what I paid for it. But I’m sure it wasn’t much.

I couldn’t bear to throw it out for a week or two. But then when I thought about our trip and what treasures I might find while there, it hit me!  I could look for a new tea cup! I trusted I would find a new one, so laid the old one, who served me well all these years, to rest.

Asheville, NC is full of culture, art, and interesting people. One very cool thing they have done is taken an old industrial park and turned it into an arts district, called River Arts District. What a cool idea, right?

It was so fun visiting all the different buildings with many types of artists. Our second stop touring the district was  Curve Studios and Gardens and pottery work done by Maria Andrade Troya.

As John and I walked in I noticed many functional pieces throughout the studio,  including tea cups.  As we walked toward a table that caught my eye because it was all periwinkle (ish) colored pieces, I said to John, “Maybe I’ll find my tea cup here!”

He knew I was on the lookout for a new one.

As I was lost in my own little world of awe in the pottery and hoping with all my heart I’d find the perfect tea cup I heard John say, “Well what if it was your favorite color periwinkle and had a wiener dog on it?”

Without looking at him and continuing the peruse the table of pottery, I said, “Oh,  that would be perfect!”

Just as the words came out of my mouth, I looked down and spotted what he had just described.  I just about squealed like a pig I was so excited! It was perfect!

I was on top of the world having this new treasure that traveled home with me. But more importantly as I thought about that special moment, I felt my heart expand in love again for my dear, sweet husband, who really does understand my deep love of these little wiener dogs. Every morning now when I pour a cup of tea, I am reminded of this and it makes this darling little tea cup all the more sweet.

For all my wiener dog loving friends, you can order one for your very own!  Maria offers shipping!