The snow swirled outside my Zen writing cottage as I practiced my yoga this morning. As I was moving through my poses feeling snug and cozy, gratitude rose up in me for this sacred space I feel so blessed to have.
Concentrating on each pose, holding it as long as I could by breathing 3-5 breaths for each sequence, I found myself in that place one strives for when practicing yoga – where time disappears and you just are.
After my yoga I moved into a 15-minute meditation to seal in all the calm goodness. Ahhhhhh….
Still in somewhat of a delicious trance, I rather absentmindedly was rolling my yoga mat when I looked up to see this sweet image of Miss Gidget watching me.
In that moment my heart melted and I thought, wow, if we only knew how much we really are loved…especially by our dear animal friends.
And calm, centered, and deeply loved I take into my day.
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I’ve been eagerly awaiting this new book, Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley, to come out and arrive at my local bookstore. Today was the day! In the car Miss Gidget and I hopped, and tried not to speed the ten minutes to Book Heads Book Store.
Normally I don’t recommend a book until after I’ve read it, but I’ve heard sooooomany good things about this book. And come on! It’s got a dachshund on the front cover – it’s just got to be good!
I can just feel it’s one of those books that will make me shed a few tears (okay, probably A LOT of tears!). One that I will resonate with. One that I won’t want to end. But one that will stay in my heart forever.
A snippet from the inside flap: This is a story about that special someone: the one you trust, the one you can’t live without. Lily and the Octopus reminds us how it feels to love fiercely, how difficult it can be to let go, and how the fight for those we love is the greatest fight of all.
Yup… I already need tissues. Okay, here we go…… open the cover and begin!
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My favorite time of the day is one-on-one time with Miss Gidget which happens most days shortly after she eats dinner at 4pm.
Yesterday as she lay on her back on the sofa and I gave her belly rubs, as often happens, I felt a huge wave of love wash over my heart.
It’s one of the best feelings in the world.
And I thought about how rough the road was when I first got her two and a half years ago trying to understand some misinformation I was given that she was in need of a pacemaker.
After a visit to the UW of Madison Vet teaching school and an expensive bill I was relieved to find out her heart was perfectly fine.
And just when life seemed to settle into place her seizures began. That was definitely a test of my will and understanding. I honestly thought I’d lose it during that year of trying to figure out why she was having them, and how to best help her.
We are approaching 150 days of no seizures and play time yesterday with her had me thinking about what is sometimes called the “sweet spot” in life. Those stretches of time when life feels incredibly good and you hope it will last forever.
While dogs don’t typically know when they are seizing, and it is harder on the people in their lives, I certainly hope she never has another one.
But as hard as it was, I learned a lot from the experience. It was a time of standing more into the truth of things that I believe in regarding holistic care and speaking up for what I felt was best for her.
It was also a time that I believe Gidget was a reflection for me. She had me looking at a part of my soul that I’d been trying to push away for a very long time.
The sweet moments with Gidget have me reflecting on how precious these times with her truly are when all is well– and how they become so much more dear because of the tough times.
A reminder to take nothing or any day for granted. To live even more in awareness of how little time we really do have here.
Each and every dog in my life have brought gifts I don’t believe I would have experienced otherwise. And it continues to inspire me that I learn so much about life through the eyes of my dogs. Their lessons somehow find a way into my heart that stick and change me for the better.
