Emotional Hokey Pokey
Moose. My love. My Regal Beagle. A couple months ago I sat on my floor crying, thinking about how it might be time to give him away. My vet had just told me that he was showing early signs of disk disease. I went into despair, a place I’ve visited many times before about Moose but hadn’t been to in a while.
For a moment all I could think about were the things I haven’t been able to do because of the time and money I’ve already spent on his healing, and the pain and suffering that was to come as his back worsens.
I moved on to my upset about his behavior. Despite our training, I still wasn’t the most effective Alpha and he was still too aggressive on walks and when people came to the house.
On top of it all, my long time dog sitter had recently and abruptly become unavailable. The freedom I had once known of dropping him off for a day or overnight was now on hold.
Enough was enough.
Through my tears I told my husband that Moose restricts me physically, emotionally, and financially. He keeps me from doing things that I love.
Perhaps you can hear some of the root of my suffering - regretting the past, anticipating the future, and feeling blocked by outside forces.
We can all go down this road, but the art of life is learning not to live there. We can imagine each situation as a blank canvas before us. We take our paints and brushes, and we turn this &*^$ around. An emotional hokey pokey. Whenever I struggle, this is my mission.
To achieve this transformation, I ask myself the following questions: What is my struggle telling me I need to bring more into my life? What will help me embrace my unique path? What resources can I call upon to transform fear into a loving, creative solution?
On this particular day of despair, I consulted with my spirit cards, my wise husband, and my flower remedy. I also became inspired by the book Gizelle’s Bucket List. With these supports I realized:
Moose is not here to teach me how to be restricted, Moose is here to teach me how to LIVE. This setback can help me learn how to have more fun and less worry. In the present, Moose can run and play and enjoy being active. THIS is what I need to focus on.
Beginning to shift from fear to positive potential set more in motion. I remembered what my insightful friend Brian Arnell once said to me: Moose is like my own private graduate school. Moose’s emotional and physical health issues have taught me volumes about healing. I bring everything I learn from our relationship to my personal and professional practice.
My breathing softened and went deeper into my belly. Not only am I am deeply passionate about the healing process, facilitating healing is one of my gifts. I opened to the place of honor and gratitude for my unique life curriculum.
It then occurred to me that the new gentle lead leash I was using was actually making a difference in Moose’s behavior.
Perhaps all of this meant we were ready for an adventure!
So…..I shared my revelations with my family and we decided to take Moose to Marsh Creek State Park. It turned out to be one of our best days both with Moose and as a family. We kept the gentle lead on Moose and he was well behaved the whole time. He rode with us in the motor boat, cruised with us on the paddleboards, and swam with us in the lake. We picnicked at a beautiful spot where we all ate and rested peacefully. I didn’t spend one minute fretting about time because I didn’t have any pressure to get back home to take care of him! I did have some moments of worry when he drank the lake water but I kept returning to this mantra:
We are strong enough to handle this. Our life is more fulfilling and joyful having this time together.
I’m happy to share that Moose and I have come out of this period with a deeper and more trusting bond. He is calmer, his health is stable, and my heart has burst open once again. My animal healer friend even said he’s not doomed, he can get help for his back. Did you know there are doggy chiropractors? I found one chiropractor that invented a tool for both pets and humans to use on their backs to release trigger points. It’s proven to be very effective with migraines so it might be a good present for my husband……
I notice that when I’m pursuing the positive possibility in a challenging situation, one discovery leads to another, each discovery a blessing. That’s when I know I am working with the universe and being taken care of by the powerful force of love.
P.S. Working to find a positive solution does not mean squashing our feelings. I was able to move through in this manner because I first honored my feelings of despair and thoughts of giving him away.
P.P.S. I’m sending you much love for whatever comes your way today that needs to be honored and turned around into a more fulfilling direction.
xo,
J