The Future of our World

ROUTINES and CHANGE

Being in this Sanctuary, I tried to keep up my routines - WAKE up and walk under the stars, followed by YOGA and BREATHING exercises, followed by BREAKFAST and writing in my journal. This is my preferred way to start the day. At home, with only WSM Noah and my three MEOWS, this is easy.

Here, I had to ADAPT and CHANGE and BE FLEXIBLE.

LITTLE MAN and SCOOBY came first. And they are not early risers. They made it clear that walking at 5:30 a.m. was a ridiculous idea, especially when I could stay cuddled under the blankets and squished between them in the bed. All that wonderful DOG-GOD energy. Just couldn't say NO. So, we slept in until almost 6:15 a.m. and then I threw on some clothes and we went for our morning stretch and pee and WALK as the sky was changing colors from dark blue to purple to pink. And SPOT came to meet us and saunter along behind us.

And then after the walk, I had maintenance - washing all the bowls and putting fresh food and clean water. And then letting the birds out so I could clean their cage and change their food and water bowls. And then the dogs want to go out again. LITTLE MAN has a ball in his mouth. Time to play FETCH. New routines and new ways of being. And finally, we join the birds outside on the patio for some yoga.

Now, I have three MEOWS at home. And while they love to be with me, they do not necessarily need to have physical contact to be with me. Not so with the dogs. LITTLE MAN is a lap dog - loves to be nestled in your lap and giving off his heat. And so is SCOOBY. For me, Yoga became an exercise in stretching and bending around their bodies. It gave me more focus and clarity while attempting my moves.














And in order to become friendly with the birds, I needed to be still and DO NO THING. Just sit and BE so that LEO and CLEO could be comfortable with me & my presence and check me out. Which is what CLEO eventually did - she landed on the back of my chair and proceeded to feel safe enough to watch me as she balanced on one foot and cleaned the other. LEO rewarded me by singing a melody - a tune I once knew that resonated with my heart.

Intentional Chocolate

SANCTUARY

This blessed house I am using - loving - healing - this SANCTUARY: a place of refuge, a holy space - a place for my soul to sigh and breathe and rest and replenish. No disruptions, interruptions, or noise.

This home is full of things that nourish my soul - art on the walls, books, music, clothes, cooking utensils, windows with magnificent views and QUIET and PEACEFUL - just me and my LITTLE PEEPS.


Today, I really got to know two of my companions, LEO and CLEO. I was not particularly fond of birds as pets. I would rather see them free, roaming the skies and healing from up above. However, LEO and CLEO seem to have an affinity for this home and choose to stay here.



The least I could do was let them out of their cage every day and onto the covered patio by the pool. And then I would clean the bottom of the cage and change the water bowls and dump the old seeds and put fresh seeds.

This earned me high esteem with LEO (grey parakeet) and CLEO (yellow parakeet) who rewarded me with fly-bys - synchronized circle flying at record speeds and in perfect formation. LEO landed on my shoulder for further inspection and communication.

Being extremely sensitive, I was slightly uncomfortable with his claws on my skin. Yet, I noticed how gentle he was being and how small he was in comparison to ME. So I endured the uncomfortableness and I made a friend. He bowed his head, inviting me to scratch and pet him, which I did. And in return, he twisted his little neck almost upside down to let me touch the softest parts of him. Thank you Leo!!!

Re-TREAT

I spent last week on Re-TREAT - my annual turning within - looking inside and taking stock of my experiences in 2007. It was also an opportunity to BE STILL and in SILENCE. And the gift of giving myself and WSM Noah the opportunity to be apart. "Everybody needs a little time away, I heard her say, from each other...." (Chicago)

I was blessed to have a sanctuary in Altamonte Springs, Florida - three hours from where I live now - and a world apart. Altamonte Springs is further up north in Florida - about 15 minutes from downtown Orlando and yet, so many trees and land and quiet. At night, you can see hundreds of stars.

And blessed to have companions - LITTLE PEEPS - mostly of the four legged kind - who accepted me unconditionally, with no other intention but to love me. The picture below is Little Man on the left and Scooby on the right.

My job was to make sure that their needs were met. And in doing that - we co-existed beautifully and created sweet love harmony.

The dogs - happy all the time - needed to be walked, groomed, hugged, scratched, fed and given space to run and release energy.

Spot the Meow - spent his nights outdoors protecting our home.

He would magically appear in the morning just in time for our morning, walking behind and with us but not "with us". And right about mid-morning, he would come in and dine on his Kibbles and inspect the premises and stretch. After sniffing out the other residents, he would be ready for meditation and naptime. We would find a comfortable spot to lay (the couch, the mat outside in the sun or the bed) and he would teach me the art of shiatsu. Our bodies, barely touching, would engage in vibration and exchange of body heat, as my wise Guru shared with me the secret of purr language, ear twitches and tail flicks.