Ringo Blue | Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray)

This morning, Sam revisited a game he invented as a puppy: bury the toy in the bed, thus destroying the bed. He stole the new orange ball I gave Ringo yesterday, the one Eric had been teaching Ringo to play fetch with, rewarding him with treats. He played it until he remembered he was four years old and not a puppy anymore, and then took a little nap.

It was good to see it. I’d forgotten the game, and this morning was feeling a bit distracted because of an episode of scratching, itchiness that woke us all up last night. It only took a few minutes for Sam to relax back down and fall asleep again, but it’s a reminder that he’s not entirely well. And yet, I think of something that Patti Digh always says, “you are not broken, you don’t need to be fixed.” Whatever is happening with Sam, wherever it might lead, he is whole.

image by eric

1. Ringo. His first vet visit went well — our vet, whose been one for almost 50 years, said “the way he’s letting me handle him, I can tell he’s going to be a super dog” — he’s sleeping so good (slept in until 6 am this morning, with one potty break at 3:30 am), will entertain himself in his crate long enough for me to finish this blog post, and is in general less bitey and crazed.

with that spot of black on his left cheek, he looks like he’s always smiling

2. More snow. Our backyard was getting pretty soupy yesterday with the last snow melting, and with the ground covered again, there’s less stuff for Ringo to get into, try to eat.

3. Yoga practice teaching. We’ll pair up tonight and practice, and I noticed yesterday that the full group warmup session I signed up for will be when we are on retreat at the Shoshoni Ashram — so cool.

4. Feeling better, more confident and at ease, settled. I don’t know if I told you, but I was in a bad way, feeling pretty awful — oh wait, that’s kind of all I’ve been talking about. 🙂

5. Eric. I know I’ve said this before, but I just couldn’t do it without him.

Bonus Joy: Sam. I still worry about him, feel sad about his jaw and the irritation it causes, the restriction it requires, but I love him so much. He’s such a good dog.