Wednesdays with the Wisdom of Dog: Hope

Posted by Barbara Techel

gidget and dragonfly pillow

I try not to give too much thought to what I will write about and share for this weekly series about the wisdom I’ve gained from my dogs over the years, and wisdom that they continue to share with me.

I just try to let it come to me. Sometimes the wisdom comes easy and I quickly write it down. Sometimes it takes awhile to come to the surface.

Such was the case today. Until I wrote the word hope in an email to someone. Once I typed that last letter, e of the word hope, I knew this was what I wanted to share today.

A post I did earlier this month I shared with you that Gidget has had three seizures since January.

I’ve been working hard on staying positive and not carrying around the energy of fear because I do believe strongly that our pets pick up on that from us. I’ve also been practicing Reiki with Gidget to help keep us both grounded.

While at the same time, I do believe in educating myself and doing some research to see if there are other ways in which I can support Gidget– and hopefully help her not have any further seizures or as few as possible.

It’s taken some time, but I have hope in a holistic vet I found who is about two hours from where I live. She is also an acupuncturist and is well versed in Chinese herbs and has worked with pets with these modalities and seizures.  We will be going to see her on May 8th.

As I thought about hope and Gidget’s situation, it brought me back to the memories of Frankie’s diagnoses of Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD). It was such a scary time for me then.

But one thing I found was hope through Dodgerslist and others who’d gone through this. And as many of you know, I went on to give hope to others whose dogs were diagnosed with IVDD – which I continue to do to this day because it brings me joy to help others.

And Frankie truly taught me the meaning of never giving up on hope as she went on to live a long, full, quality life spinning many miles in her wheelchair.

While I don’t yet know the outcome of what will be discovered during the appointment in May, I must say I feel better knowing I’m taking a proactive step in seeing what can possibly be done to help support Gidget.

I have hope and that is a beautiful thing.

I will also share what I learn in hopes that it can help others who may be dealing with seizures and their pets.

A special thank you to reader, Edwina, for reaching out to me and helping me give thought to Chinese Medicine.

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Black Panther Came to Me in a Dream

Posted by Barbara Techel

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Friday night I dreamed of Black Panther.

He was in my house. While I was somewhat scared he was in my house, at the same time I wasn’t as frightened as one might think you’d be if a panther was really in your house.

John let him out the front door and he took off running. I began to cry because I was sad to see him go. I started to run after him. I ran and ran and ran, but never caught up to him.

Then he appeared again outside our house a few hours later. John ran outside and wrestled with him. It was a fierce battle. The panther’s mouth was open his jagged, sharp teeth exposed and saliva flying everywhere, yet he wasn’t attacking John. But still, it was very frightening.

While I didn’t want the panther to kill John, I also didn’t want the panther to die either.

And then I woke up.

What in the world did that dream mean, I wondered?

But I didn’t look into it until this morning. I wanted to see if my mind could find a reason for the dream. But nothing was coming to me.

I looked through my animal resources for what Panther means and didn’t find anything until I turned to a book by Jamie Sams and David Carson, Medicine Cards.

medicinecards_cover

Interestingly enough, years ago I had gone through the exercise of finding my nine totem animals as the authors instruct to do. On our “Earth Walk” as they call it, in each direction, East, South, West North and Above, Below and Within, we have animal guides. But we also have an animal on either side (right and left) of us walking this journey.

Reading the list of animals that came up for me during this exercise I got goosebumps seeing that Panther was the animal that I had written down that is on my left side.

According to the book the left side represents:  This animal is the protector of your female side and teaches you that you must learn to receive abundance as well as nurture yourself and others. The left-side animal is also your teacher about relationships and mothering.

I then read further what Black Panther’s message may mean for me. One passage really struck a chord: Let go of fears that appear as obstacles or barriers. Embrace the unknown and flow with the mystery that is unfolding in your life. The next step may be leaping empty-handed into the void with implicit trust. In the stillness of the void, find the will to avoid foolish interruptions, going deeper into your own self-discovery and healing process.

And then it made perfect sense for me. Saturday I facilitated my first SoulCollage® workshop.

I’ve been very excited about sharing this process with others, while at the same time, apprehensive as it is going deeper, not only with myself, but encouraging that in others. I also have been in transition for quite sometime myself, listening deeply to the stillness and trying to just let life unfold as it is meant to be for me. That isn’t always easy.

There is mystery in that I don’t know how sharing this process with others will go, as well as, how it will unfold. But when I think about how I’ve been approaching this new adventure, I’ve been working hard on just allowing it to be without worrying how it should be.

I guess Panther is the reminder I need to keep trusting this process, even though I wrestle with some of the unknowns.

As I read more about Panther’s message and found the above photo, it really spoke to my heart. I knew what I was feeling and thinking was right on because tears sprang to my eyes. And that is always my indication that the spark in my soul is calling out to me.

So I say a grateful thank you to Panther for coming to me in my dream and for walking beside me as I journey forward.

Black Panther photo credit:  Bruce McAdam

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Enjoying the Sweet Spot with Gidget

Posted by Barbara Techel

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Almost every morning after my yoga practice, I meditate for a few moments.

Sometimes Gidget sits beside me, resting her head on my leg. But from what I’ve read and understand, it’s just as beneficial for her if she is sleeping in her bed on the floor next to me.

I used to get frustrated (and sometimes still do) when meditating, thinking “My mind won’t stop talking!”

This is another lesson I’ve come to understand is that it is not about shutting your mind off completely. It’s learning to go of the thoughts without judgement and just letting them float on by.

So here I was meditating Tuesday morning. I choose a word to bring myself back to center when my thoughts wonder. I chose stillness as my word for this particular day.

I set the timer on my phone for 15-minutes. In the background I had music softly playing- Reiki Ocean part 6 on Pandora is my favorite.

I got comfy in my big wicker chair and closed my eyes. Gidget takes a few moments to settle in, but I let her do her thing and try to not let it distract me. I love how it feels to have her beside me which grounds me.

Here’s an example of my meditation thought process from Tuesday.

Stillness.
I have to work on my newsletter today.
What am I going to write about?
Stillness.
Mmmm, that feels good.
I want to write about mindfulness too.
Stillness.
I forgot to take the chicken out for dinner.
Stillness.
Was that a car door I just heard slam?
Don’t look. Keep your eyes closed.
Stillness.
I can’t forget to make copies for Saturday’s workshop.
Stillness.

And on and on it goes. This is normal. It’s those in-between times, what Dr. Wayne Dyer calls the gap, that is meditation.  Those sweet spots of calm. It is so worth it to move through my thoughts, finding my way back to the word and the center that grounds me.

And having Gidget in the room, or beside me, is so worth it too.

Even if your pet isn’t in the room with you, I’ve heard this is still beneficial for them. They can feel that good, relaxing, renewing energy no matter where they are. Just picture them in your mind and set your intention, and they will benefit.

I read somewhere that even if you are the only person who meditates in the household that it actually benefits everyone. I think that makes perfect sense. And it’s another reason meditation makes me feel good to know that I may be holding the center for someone else. Even my sweet dogs.

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