Puppy Meditations & Other Serendipitous Distractions
When unexpected turns of the path turn out to be wonderful
I have been taking care of my son’s 4-month-old husky puppy named Storm for the last 3 weeks.
She’s adorable, soft, and rubbery just like a puppy should be… and an incredible interruption of what my world had been previously!
Pre-Storm, I was happily tucked away in my laboratory creating things, dreaming of things, and able to lose myself in the timelessness that is possible when you’re alone. This has been a wonderful gift after being married, farming, raising children, running bricks-and-mortar businesses and recently on my travels, living with other families. What I could create and dream of in the bliss of solitude has been the most amazing experience!
And although I have wonderful friends whom I gather with once in a while, about a month ago, I realized that perhaps I wasn’t getting out enough. Was I becoming that mad scientist happily locked away in her laboratory? How could I get more exercise? The life of a writer and teacher can be very sedentary!
And POOF, the Storm appeared! My son had had arrangements made with people who would be happy to take care of Storm during the days while he was working… but then those plans fell through. I asked him what he was going to do with her during the day… He didn’t know. He didn’t want to put her in a crate while he was at work. But he wasn’t expecting this problem.
So, I offered to take care of her during the day. As much as I was enjoying my no-dependents life, I do love dogs, Storm is adorable, and I trust that when weird things happen, it’s often a very good thing!
Sunshine Meditations
We go on a lot of walks. Puppies’ bladders only last about 2 hours at a time. So, we go for walks about every two hours. Sometimes the sun beats down, I take a deep breath, and I’m so thrilled to be outside (when I wouldn’t have been previously). Sometimes it’s minus 3 degrees Celsius and my face is freezing. But somehow this also feels great!
Sometimes she doesn’t want to walk and prefers to sit and watch squirrels and stare and seemingly nothing across the road. So, I too stop and watch the squirrels, listen to the birds, breathe deeply, and notice things I’ve never noticed before.
Honing My Workday
If I once had twelve projects on the go, I have had to narrow it down to what really brings me joy. For the first couple weeks, I grieved that projects and work that would no longer get priority in my day. I was truly worried that things would fall behind terribly. Plus, I am preparing the manuscript for my new book “The Union of the Masculine & Feminine” and it needs to be to my editor by January 10th. Would I be able to get it completed in the way I would like?
Well, “productivity” has definitely been reduced. But I’m finding out which things are truly in my heart and fun. I can’t even tell you exactly which projects have fallen by the wayside. But I know that I am working way less… yet everything seems to be just fine… (And I have this wonderful new Substack publication which I’m loving!!)
Enjoying Soul Surfing
There have been many times in my life when I felt overwhelmed with the projects I’m doing. Plus, ideas are constantly coming into my mind. I think I must have 50 ideas sitting on the shelves of my consciousness just waiting for an opportunity to make them happen!
So, the addition of a very energetic puppy into my world seemed to be pushing more ideas onto the shelves which can definitely stress me out…
Unless I begin to surf.
This is how I have handled these kinds of times for a while now. It’s like all the things in my life - work, friends, intimate partners, personal growth and puppies - become this great ocean beneath my surfboard. I quiet my mind and consciously disengage my mind from all aspects of my life and I engage something else that’s hard to describe.
It’s like my heart can still feel the hearts of all the things. My emotional body feels the web of my life. But I don’t let my mind get in there or else I’ll get overwhelmed and fears will seep in.
I stand on my surfboard and breathe deeply (literally, this is what it feels like). I allow the ocean beneath me to move organically. I allow whatever is important to rise. I allow the pieces to play together without my interference.
Then, I just trust my intuition. I wake up each morning and ask what is on the docket for today. I still have ToDo lists and structure in my day so that everything that needs to get done gets done. But everything else is a wonderful flow coming from my surfboard.
My 3-Week Report
So far, I’m getting all kinds of exercise which I believe is creating really great sleeps every night. I am enjoying so much sunshine and fresh air. I am chatting with new friends at the dog park most days. I meet other dog owners while we trek the streets of our small town and we have lovely chats.
My work is finding a lovely balance. I am working on my manuscript, loving teaching (most of the time Storm sleeps through classes… but on occasion, she does appear and isn’t so easy as you can see HERE IN THIS VIDEO.
You just never know what the purpose of these “distractions” in our lives is. But for me, as long as I assume that there is purpose in them, truly amazing things happen… that I never could have planned.
✨ To find out more about my online courses and books, please visit katrinabos.ca & satyayogaacademy.org. ✨