It is a strange and beautiful time right now.
With the arrival of the coronavirus, there are all these really sad things happening, people getting sick and losing their jobs.
And while it’s only a percentage of us who are directly affected, all of us are rearranging our lives. The usual commitments in our calendars – travel plans, work commitments, social engagements, haircuts (haha) – are no longer there, holding the narrative of our lives in place, reflecting back to us our sense of ourselves.
What’s more, the ways we insulate ourselves with familiar routines have been stripped away, and there’s this empty space and time. And just underneath, a silence. And stillness.
Even for people whose work continues, things feel different. In the background of our lives, there is this eerie, and somewhat awakening feeling of calm, mixed in with all of the change and uncertainty.
Can you feel it? I notice it just driving around, fewer cars on the road, and also when talking to friends, sharing about how our lives are different, how our routines have been affected.
Life is different now. It is as if this whole situation is inviting us humans to wake up and turn inward, and reacquaint ourselves with the present moment.
Isn’t this beautiful?
The present moment is where Life happens.
Our animal friends know the present moment so well, much better than we humans do.
And they remind us to feel present every day. They connect us to Life, right here and now.
In my little family, each of my 3 animal companions does this in a different way.
My dog, Prince, at every turn, takes me into the joy of being ALIVE, right now. “Let’s play Mom!” Or, “”What’s next Mom?” Or, “I am going to chew my carrot now Mom, I love carrots.”
When I am with my cat Jake, I can’t help but feel his masculine groundedness and his solid, open heart. Even if I am busy and rushing by him as he naps on the bed or in his cat tree, I still feel my love for him, and his deep love for me, and the way he helps me feel my own depth and solidity.
As for my kitty Isabel, her graceful and gentle demeanor brings a sense of stillness to whatever room she is in. Seeing her helps me feel a quiet trust in Life, and a feeling that everything is somehow all ok in the world.
When we are really present, we can feel the essence of another being, and in this way, we begin to deeply feel ourselves.
That’s the real gift of this time, and of our animal friends.
They connect us to the present moment, where all the busy-ness fades. There, we can feel each other, ourselves, and love and joy and truth and realness, and maybe even a sense of clarity around difficult situations in our lives.
The gift of the present, whether it comes from the circumstances of the world right now, or from our cat or dog, is such a blessing for human beings.
How do your own animal friends help you stay connected to the present moment, and a deeper sense of yourself? Please respond to this email and feel free to share your thoughts along with a photo of your animal friend. I would love to post some of the responses in a future newsletter.
And of course if you want to communicate with your animal friends, to hear from them how they perceive and experience their lives with you, or get to the heart of any behavior or health problems, I am here to help. You can click this link to schedule a communication session for you and your animal friends.
Lastly, thank you for being in my life; it is such a joy to help you deepen your connection with your animal friends, with yourself, and all living things.
With much love,
Sharon
I look forward to connecting with you and your animal friends soon!
