Category Archives: Dog

Something Good

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It’s Monday, and I’ve heard from a few people that they are having a rough one, so I am sending this list of good things out to those who are feeling raw, struggling or stumbling this morning. May good things, ease and peace, head your way soon.

The Crimson Petal and the White: BBC Miniseries

One of my favorite books from the last few years was The Crimson Petal and the White. It’s dark and melodramatic, but epic and wonderful too, (just my opinion–I gave it to my mom and she hated it, wasn’t able to finish it, “too dark and depressing”). I was recommending the book again to someone the other day, and did a Google search to find the author, only to discover the book had been made into a four part mini-series by the BBC, with one of my favorite actors from The IT Crowd (a super funny, smart show) playing one of the leads. Now I just have to figure out how to get my hands on a copy.

Handcrafted Bird Wings for Children from Second Star Designs on Easty

Oh, how wonderful these are!

Dou Dou Birds

I am so in love with these. Now I just have to decide which ones to buy myself. One of the owls for sure.

A Human Thing

This website just launched, but I already love it. Judy, the author, says of the site’s focus “I write about love because I truly believe love is the most powerful weapon we have to affect change – in ourselves, in each other, in the world.” Amen! I’ve been doing her “41 6-word days” and it’s been really fun.

“You Will Survive”

This is a video made by Dyana Valentine, who “woke up at 4:44am with the unbearable urge to tell you this. and, i mean it. go out there and do it. i believe in you. send this to someone you believe in.” If you can stand bad words and want some encouragement, you must watch this.

“Letting Go of What You Are Not” on Metta Drum

Daniel Collinsworth does it again, straight to the heart with this post.

You won’t find any long-term solutions in the less of this, more of that approach. Instead, consider the idea that the You you’ve been searching for is already present within you, just waiting for conscious connection. Let go of the idea that you need fixing, because deep down, you aren’t really broken. You’ve only taken on layers of concepts, habits and dogmas that aren’t serving you, and certain basic needs have gone unmet for awhile. So begin to strip away those layers that you’ve built up over the course of your lifetime and discover the truth of who you are.

Can I get an “Amen”?

“Where I’m From” Poem Template

I wanted to have time to play with this over the weekend, but didn’t. However, it looks really fun, so still on my to-do list and I hope to get to it soon.

“What Took You So Long?” by Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D.

Thanks to Lori-Lyn at DreamLifeWellness for sharing this link. The article has a collection of really great definitions of compassion: loving participation in the world, practice of enlightenment, something we cultivate in daily life based on a sane understanding of the world and our relationship to it, an expression of human freedom, flowing from a sound intuition of the unity of life and all living things, what connects all things, both a force in the universe as well as a human experience, both the field and the intention we put into that field, and the freely willing choice of any individual to act in a particular way [that] directly impacts humanity as a whole. And this too: “No wonder Glaser refers to Bodhisattvas as ‘citizens of the universe.’ ” Amen!

“Things we can learn from a dog.”

I don’t know who to credit for this, because it’s one of those things that got forwarded to me by a fellow dog lover, but it’s a great list, so I wanted to share it.

Things We Can Learn From a Dog
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
When it’s in your best interest, always practice obedience.
Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.
Take naps and always stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you’re not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
No matter how often you are criticized, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout. Run right back and make friends.

New Album from Ingrid Michaelson, Releases January 24, 2012 (Tomorrow!)

Ingrid has a new album coming out (yay!), “Human Again” (such a great title!), and she’s been sharing links to samples of it on Thinglink. Here’s a preview of “In The Sea.” If you follow the link and click on the gramophone, you can listen to the song.

Yosemite

A kind and gentle reader shared this link with me yesterday, and it is so beautiful, I wanted to pass it along to you.

It’s Okay. Cheer up. You’re Perfect.

This seems like what you might need to hear today, and last night, I had a dream that I was walking in the snow and saw three ladybugs. Ladybugs have been a sign to many who love and miss Kelly that she’s still close, that love endures, and it’s just what she would tell you if you were feeling down: It’s okay. Cheer up. You’re perfect.

Joy Jam

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What were the 3-5 things that gave you joy this week?

1. My dogs. The very first time I did a Joy Jam post, I listed “these three boys” in reference to Eric, Dexter and Sam. I could put the three of them on every Joy Jam, gratitude, Something Good, favorites, things I couldn’t live with out list I ever make. But this week, I think because I’ve been doing the Small Stones posts and have been more attentive to everything, and I spend so much time with them, I have really been noticing how much I adore my dogs. Every single day they bring me joy.

2. Laughing with Eric. It wouldn’t do any good to explain the exact moments, because sometimes there are things that are only funny to you, and won’t make sense to anyone else.

3. Missing Obi. Any of you who have lost someone close to you know that grief can sneak up on you at the oddest times. The wind blows or a door slams or you see something out of the corner of your eye and turn to look, and suddenly you are right there, in the exact moment you lost them, as if it is happening again, right now in this moment. I was in my meditation room the other night, and I caught a glimpse of a picture frame I have on the shelf there–it’s one of those kits that you can make a hand or paw print on one side and put a picture in the other. I made this one of Dexter and Obi’s paw prints, the day before Obi died, and put in one of my favorite pictures of them.

I know it seems strange to mention this in a list of things that brought me joy this week, but the depth of loss and grief I feel for Obi is a reminder, a joyful one, of the capacity for love and connection.

4. Ease and Freedom. These are two things I don’t feel very often, but when I do, I appreciate them so much. This week, there were several times that I felt one or the other, or even both at the same time. Writing on Monday (I made four blog posts that day, and felt ease as I did so), walking the dogs in the snow on Tuesday morning, watching two owls with a student I’d just met (both of us standing so quiet and still, paying attention and wholly in the moment, appreciating the magic), sitting on my meditation cushion last night, practicing yoga this morning, and walking the dogs this afternoon (home early from work on a Friday, a windy but beautiful day).

5. Relax. I have talked many times about Susan Piver and her Open Heart Project. If you sign up to be on the mailing list, a few times a week she sends videos and a written message. One video is typically a discussion of some issue related to meditation (life), important teachings for free. I am continually amazed by her brilliance and generosity. In one of her most recent videos (I apologize for not remembering exactly which one), she talked about how Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche said (she was paraphrasing) that the more he studies, the more he thinks the entire path, the whole dharma, the truth and the teaching and the way could be summed up in a single word: Relax.

This makes me so happy. I’ve heard him say similar things before, so it wasn’t the first time I’d heard the idea, but when Susan reminded me, I felt what I always do: relief, and then joy. It really could be that easy. Something in me says “yes” every time I contemplate the idea. If you relax, you find freedom, space, ease–everything is workable. Seriously, I’ve been trying to disprove this idea with multiple scenarios, but I can’t think of a single situation where things wouldn’t be better simply by relaxing into reality, accepting what is as it is.

  • Where did you find joy this week?