Tag Archives: Walk

Three Truths and One Wish

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1. Truth: A walk is magic, medicine. If you can go longer and take a few dogs along, even better. It clears my head, gets me unstuck, lifts my mood, gets me moving, reminds me to breathe. It brings my mind back to my body, gets my feet on the ground, holds both my mind and body in the present moment, in the same place at the same time. A walk softens the hard edges, relaxes tension, releases strong emotions, dissolves discursive thoughts.

2. Truth: Surrender, letting go of control is really, really hard. This morning in my meditation, I set an intention to invite surrender and let go of control. It arose naturally, those two things, the choosing of them specifically felt genuine and right–for about three minutes. Then I thought to myself “what have I done?!” I felt myself wanting to struggle with surrender, to cling to my sense of control. And yet, I know this is the edge I need to lean into, move past. Courtney Carver just put up a new post on Be More With Less, Let the Monkey off the Chain, that is helpful. And from my Inner Pilot Light today came this:

You may feel like if you let go of the reins, all hell will break loose, you won’t get what you want, and everything will fall apart. But what you may not realize is that grabbing the reins and trying to exert control is actually sabotaging all the blessings the Universe is trying to bestow upon you. So darling, please, let go. Surrender. Trust.

I’m trying, kind and gentle reader, I really am.

snowobi

3. Truth: I miss Obi. I was watching videos of him this weekend, and it made me so happy to see him again, but so sad too, the hard fact that he is gone, that while I’m alive I will never see him again. That grief only gets heavier knowing the same is coming with Dexter, that soon I will be missing them both.

When they are, I can watch videos like this one and remember when we were all here together. They had just gotten a bath, which always makes them go a little crazy. When they would play like this, we called it Dog Fu. It’s hard to believe that this was Obi three months into chemo (if you look close, you can see the bare spot on his leg where they shaved it to put the IV in), which clearly wasn’t slowing him down.

One Wish: That we find ease, that we find the courage to surrender and let go, that we are lucky enough to love deeply and be loved.

Gratitude Friday

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This post started as a mashup of The Little Bliss List and Joy Jam, and as such is meant to celebrate: the little things that brought me hope and happiness this week, the sweet stuff of life, those small gifts that brought me joy this week. By sharing them, I not only make public my gratitude, but maybe also help you notice your own good stuff and send some positive energy out into the world.

1. The kindness and generosity of friends. A poetic message from Sherry, a thank you from Andrea, a gorgeous and silly hat from Susie, a pack of poetry and the sweetest squiggly doodles from Laurie, a link to a funny video from Chloe’, interesting questions and the space to answer them and a kind heart to listen from Kimberley, clarity and an open heart from Kathy, laughter and wisdom from Susan, kind words from Beth, a guest post on Niight’s blog. It is so good to be loved, to be surrounded by such wise, creative, open hearted women.

spritehat

2. Good food. Scrambled eggs with spinach and whatever else I might find to throw in. The perfect avocado. Pancakes with strawberry jam, both homemade.

3. Snow. Just enough to make everything sparkly and quiet for a single, glorious morning walk.

4. Downton Abbey. I watch it online, which means not until Monday, which makes Monday something to look forward to. If you like this show too, and you haven’t yet seen the spoof, Downton Arby’s, go watch and have yourself a giggle.

5. Feeling full of ideas, and sensing the Universe’s support of them. A force of pure love and power conspiring to make sense out of the longing, the calling, the hunger in my belly, my heart. It’s a busy, productive, fertile time for me, sometimes so strange after such a long season of fallow.

Bonus Joy: Another week with Dexter. Some of it was very exciting for him, like the part where he chased a cat down the street (I explained to him that this would not have been as much fun for either of us if he’d been hit by a car), and the time he ran in to his doggy friends Roxie and Riley at the park and got to walk with them for awhile. I asked him this morning to be my valentine and I think he said “yes,” (it was that or “give me a cookie”).