If you spend time in the world of dogs, you see them continually finding new ways to connect to whatever is going on around them. They make the best of their circumstances, even when those circumstances may not be ideal. If there is a muddy yard, with one sunny patch, they will find the sunny patch and curl up in it. When they encounter another dog, they may or may not get along at first, but. . . they set boundaries and respect those boundaries without making it mean anything else. As human beings we could benefit a lot from similar ways of being. However, more often than not, instead of finding the sunny patch, we keep ourselves stuck in the mud. When we encounter someone we don't know, we access, judge based on appearances and unfortunately most of the time we put up a wall, which is not a boundary, but rather a way to protect ourselves and keep others out. And, we do most of this on auto pilot. Why is it that we act these ways? For the most part we don't have any real idea we are doing any of it! In that way we are a lot like dogs because we are acting out of pure instinct, except in our case, it is programming. Dogs act from instinct, because they have no other choice, we on the other hand have all sorts of choices, if we just allow ourselves to consider them. Finding the sunny patch could be considered a metaphor for allowing solutions to find you versus staying stuck in a problem, or in struggle. Being accepting to others, while also having and keeping healthy boundaries, like dogs who are respectful of each other (and yes for dogs that means barking loudly at times) we deserve to do whatever work we require on ourselves in order to accept others for who they are versus shutting them out, or letting them too far in! In the end we are talking about being "Paws-itive" or positive for those of us that need to be literal. By doing this we invite a much better state of being into our day to day existence as well the possibility of greater opportunities into our lives over all. Sometimes we all need to navigate the mud until we find our own little sunny patch! Peace, Love & Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam
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Dogs are who they are, not matter what the circumstance they remain true to character. They deal with things as they come up instinctually and without hesitation. Meaning, they don't contemplate what the best course of action may be, whether to go right, or left. They don't imagine what might happen if they do this or that. They don't paralyze themselves by overthinking and attempting to figure out what follow action a, b, or c. They simply are who they are and they do what they do. Dogs have no shame about who they are. They don't feel bad for being the one who runs at the back of the pack, or the middle, and they don't feel the need to over compensate for whatever state of being they happen to embody. Not every dog is an alpha dog, in fact in truth in a pack there is only one alpha, so that means there are a lot more pack members who follow versus lead, and they are equally as valuable. Yes, we have the ability to think and to plan, too strategize and to second guess ourselves. We, based on these skills, often do take time to contemplate our best course of action, and we ponder about whether it would be right or wrong. We over think and attempt to figure everything out prior to taking any action at all. We do polarize ourselves and remain inactive when our deepest desire is to be a person of action. We blame it on procrastination and convince ourselves that this is just how it goes, or who we are. Maybe it's time we stop holding out and step up to plate and become who we are truly meant to be. We could borrow the wisdom of dog and just step up. We could also celebrate the fact that because we aren't driven by instinct we can choose whatever we want, and maybe it's time for us to be brave! Do your dog proud and become the person your dog thinks you are. Show up and be the best you are capable of being, take action when your gut tells you to and play full out. Have compassion for yourself always and listen to your heart. Dogs are always exactly who they are, no more and no less. Be brave and be all that you are and watch as life gets better and better. Peace, Love & Wugs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam When you throw a ball most dogs, not all but most, run after it with wild abandon and make it their single focus in life to find that ball and ultimately to return it to you. They know that once they do, they will enjoy the pleasure of doing it all over again, because they will pretty much beg you to throw the ball again. What is it in your life that if it were thrown out in front of you, you would make it your souls purpose to pursue and uncover so that you could grab ahold of it? We all have something, if we are willing to admit it! It is the thing you dream of, if you dare to allow yourself to dream. It is the thing you were probably told when you were younger was not practical. Its the thing that when you allow yourself a moment to reflect, keeps coming up no matter how much time has past. You dreams are yours because you are meant to have them. And just like a dog going after that ball, the universe has thrown it out, ahead of you, and it is there to support you every step of the way if you are willing to start going after it. Whether it's small actions, or a big leap, or somewhere in between, practice the game of fetch and go after your desires. You deserve everything that you can dream of to come true, and you'd be surprised what will happen if you just start going after them. The best part is once you fetch the "ball", you will bring it back so to speak to your life and your loved ones, and then you will be asking for the Universe to please throw it again! And. . . the universe will. Peace, Love & Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam Anyone ever heard of the telephone game? This is where we sit in a circle and whisper in ear of one person and they take what they've heard and whisper it into the ear of the next person. This happens until we go all the way around the circle and the person who started it, gets to hear what actually comes back to them, which is never, and I mean never, what it is that they said that started the whole thing! I suppose it's silly of me to bring this into the world of dogs because dogs don't even play "bow wow" and pass it on, they don't gossip! But still I think this is a fair and legitimate example. Meaning, the fact they don't do it, is the lesson. Dogs don't spread rumors and they don't point fingers attempting to make another dog feel bad. Perhaps we could all attempt to act like dogs in this example and give up our telephone games with one another and about one another. Why do we even feel the need to "pass it on"? When most of time, whatever we are talking about, if and when we do this, we actually don't know the whole story, let alone the facts. With dogs, the pack is the pack, you work for acceptance and when you are accepted, you are part of the pack. With humans, particularly the court of public opinion, the telephone game, is thriving. And let's not be confused, the court of public opinion is rampant. When that court turns against a member of our human pack, watch out, because we, the human family, will reject and throw that person out, before we even know the truth. Perhaps this is because we live in a society that seems to perpetuate sensationalism in order to market whatever the next big thing is, or whatever agenda that may be in play. Yes, there is a lot going on behind the scenes that none of us know anything about, but apparently that doesn't appear to stop us from thinking we have the right to judge others and that it would appear that guilty until proven innocent is now common. Give me the world of dogs when it comes to things like this, and again perhaps the best lesson we can take away from all of this, is that to aim to act more like a dog in this case, would be a good thing! Let's stop the gossip, no more "Bow Wow" pass it on, and let's silence the court of public opinion. We may all find that we end up being a whole lot happier. Peace, Love & Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam I don't know about you, but when I get home my big boy, Chooks, literally slams himself into me - in a nice way - and demands cuddles. In fact if I don't cuddle he will keep making demands until he gets his belly rubs. My little man, Sam, also demands cuddles, but for him it's all about the whining! Why do they want cuddles, well that is simple, it feels good. It's an exchange that uplifts their spirits and honestly, it uplifts mine as well. I will go out on a limb and further submit for your consideration that cuddles feel good to us all. So what do we do to get our cuddle time? First, just like my boys who demand it, because they are dogs and that is how they communicate, they are illustrating an important lesson. While we can't demand, it would do well for us to learn to ask for what we need. It can be hard for some of us to do this because we've learned in our lifetime that we need to be tough and stand on our own two feet. Maybe we are always there for others and because of this we forget or disregard our own needs. Asking for cuddles, (use cuddles it as a metaphor), is asking for a hug, a friend to come over and hang out, a meeting for coffee where you get to connect. It's asking for someone to take a walk with you, or maybe it is asking for a cuddle! There is also always the option, and this is important to remember, that you can cuddle yourself! Sometimes that, is the start to becoming someone who can ask for what they need. Give yourself a hug every day and always remember that you are a living breathing work of art, and every moment is a brand new opportunity to become whatever you choose. Peace, Love and Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam Life can be rolling along rather splendidly and suddenly out of no where, something happens! Something you need doesn't show up when you need it. An unexpected bill pops up and wipes out your savings. A friend decides they are upset with you and you don't know why, or. . . You were feeling fine, but find out that your health may not be as good as you thought. Whatever the reason, rough patches are a fact to life and it is who we are in the face of these things that matters most. I've watched my boys play with their favorite toys and they are in such joy. But then, suddenly the toy gets knocked over the edge, and ends up in the river and the current takes it away while my little man whines on the shore. His life is become unbearable in that second, but as quick as that happens, as we walk away from the scene of the crime, something else catches his attention and it's all about joy again! It's not that he doesn't have a moment, I mean his toy just got lost, but he doesn't hang on to the loss, he moves on. That is the point. Rough patches are never all that fun, but they can be a lot easier to handle if you are willing to shift your attention onto something that brings you happiness, or at the very least feels a little better. The sooner we shift our energy, the sooner our energy shifts! Sometimes that shift can allow for solutions to show up that you simply couldn't see before, and sometimes that shift allows for a whole new door to open. Whatever the outcome, by refocusing your energy, that rough patch ceases to have any power over you and before you know it, you are laughing again! Peace, Love & Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam If you ever take your fur-baby to the ever popular dog park, you may appreciate this reference. In fact this post is the number one reason why I personally do not take my boys to such destinations! Not that I didn't try at one point to do so, but what happened forever tainted my desire to spend time in such places. Trust me, my pups have not missed, or suffered for this lack of this experience, however I know I'm blessed to make such choices. Depending on where you live the dog park may be a necessity. When dogs get together you can tell very quickly if they are happy to see each other or not by whether or not their hackles are raised. Look out for the hackles and you will be able to tell whether to allow the union or to walk the other way. The hackles are at the back of the neck and between shoulder blades and close to the butt. When that hair raises the dog is in a state that could lead to an aggressive encounter. So easy to understand and to steer away from when you know what to look for. When it comes to you and me, it would be pertinent to note that we too have hackles, but when they prickle, it's an internal thing. Just like witnessing the change in body language with your best friend, when you look out for your own body responses you too can also stay clear of encounters you may prefer not to happen! When you pay attention to the subtle clues, it's amazing how simple it can be to navigate the landscape of life! Peace, Love & Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam You will never hear a dog talk about another dog behind their back. Likewise, you won't hear a dog put another dog down because they don't have a fancy collar. You will never hear a dog lie about another dog, or attempt to undermine them, or dig a hole and try to shove another dog into it! While dogs may fuss, and growl and even get their hackles up, it is all very direct and upfront, there is nothing sneaky or underhanded about it. Humans on the other hand do talk about each other, do put each other down, will sometimes lie, and will even try to push another human in a hole, metaphorically speaking. They can behave in underhanded and sneaky ways, and it all results in them feeling badly about themselves. Something a dog also never does! What is the point dear humans about putting each other down? What difference does it make what side of the tracks any of us come from, or what level of education we were lucky enough to receive? What is the end result of unhappy behavior but more unhappiness? Let us learn from our beloved furry teachers, that while we may not all get along, we can still respect one another. Let us realize that the greatest gift we can give to one another is the willingness to simply allow us all to be who we are. Just like dogs who are blessedly free of judging others and naturally just coexist with life and accept life for what it is, the simplicity of authenticity, integrity and compassion can be the cornerstones of how we live our lives and interact with one another. Odds are high that if we allow ourselves to keep it simple and keep it real, we may find ourselves a whole lot happier. Or. . . we can find ourselves at the end of a very long game of operator, (Bark. . . pass it on) and in the midst of one misunderstanding after another. It's a choice. Peace, Love & Wugs Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam There is something important that we all must know and that dogs come by naturally, and that is that life is a gift. When we realize this, we can have a very different experience because we don't get caught in the angst or the pain, which is far too easy for us humans! Dogs wake up every day excited for whatever is about to happen. They don't make lists, or punish themselves by staying up all hours trying to complete them. They don't struggle with wondering silly stuff like what if things go wrong. They don't get worked up about little things because they are more excited about simply being alive. When was the last time you thought, wow, I'm alive, and I'm so grateful. When was the last time you remember waking up excited to take on the day. When do you allow yourself to consider, what if, things go right? Dogs know instinctually who they are and the role that they play, they don't have to worry about these things, but we do. It's natural for us to wonder about who we are in the world and what we role we are supposed to play in life. We could be envious of dog, for not having to trouble themselves with these things, but instead perhaps we can learn. Maybe we too can begin to find our excitement for each moment with the simple act of gratitude for the fact that we are alive today. We woke up this morning and not everybody did. Celebrate being alive and allow yourself to live in the possibilities of the unknown, because what if it all works out? Peace, Love & Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam Any dog will indicate that they are not happy when they are irritated with something, or someone. They don't hide the way they feel, and they don't "tolerate" something because they think they have no choice. They simply move away from whatever is bothering them as soon as they can and move on to something else. They also don't dwell on it. They don't leave it and think about it for hours or days, wondering how they could have done it differently or if they should have said something, and so on. They are not tortured in their imagination. They let go and its gone! Dogs don't have pet peeves, they wouldn't even understand the concept. They like or don't like something and that is that. We on the other had tend to put up with things that don't make us happy, we don't say what's on our mind, when we could manage to communicate with clarity and instead keep it bottled up. Slowly, but surely as we continue to tolerate and cope, put up with and allow, we reach boiling point and things erupt! We also dwell and wonder, play over in our minds all the things that we should have and could have done or said. And this my friends, we can do for days and sometimes even longer! We not only have pet peeves, we have melt downs! Consider the fact that even when a dog actually does have their version of a melt down, once it's done it's over. Let's take a lesson and realize that hanging on to stuff, dealing with things by not dealing with them and subjecting ourselves to those things that do not serve us, is something to stop doing! Instead stop - take a beat and acknowledge what's really going on for you. Drop - into yourself and pay attention to how you are feeling, and listen - hear your inner guidance because it will help you to navigate what is needed so that you let go and let Dog! Love, Peace & Wufs Rev Deb, Chook & Sam |
Our WishDina Rae and Rev Deb invite you to enjoy this curated experience. May your tails wag with satisfaction and your hearts be warmed by all that you see. Archives
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