Communication is a two way street

I'll start off today with an update on Lucky and the subdudes. Having my favorite band in town and getting to see them two nights in a row definitely lifted my spirits and I think it lifted Lucky's as well. The week was off to a really good start.

I was in heaven listening to the subdudes play both nights. Their music touches me in a way that is hard to put into words. Lucky also seemed to be in heaven when friends (fellow fans and band members) came to the car to visit her before and after the show and during the band's break half way through. She let everyone pet her and ooh and ahh over how good she looked and how happy she seemed. We stayed up later than we normally do and slept in later too.

For a couple of days, life seemed like a breeze. Our focus was on having fun and we were definitely having fun. Lucky had a great appetite, almost no accidents and my arms and back didn't hurt at all when I was lifting her or helping her walk. I can't say it was ALL thanks to the subdudes music but I am sure it was part of why we were both feeling so good. :-)

After a couple of fabulous days, reality started to set in again. I guess it is to be expected but it still was a bit of a disappointment. Lucky suddenly wasn't interested in eating. She was turning her nose up at the food I was preparing her, not interested in the grilled chicken I was mixing up with her kibble, so I started trying to get more creative. I mixed in wet dog food and cottage cheese, then after a couple of meals, that didn't work anymore. I got some baby food and mixed that in, sat on the floor with her and hand fed her and then after a couple of meals, that wasn't working either. My back started to hurt again and I was awake multiple times during the night trying to find a position to sleep in where I didn't feel the ache.

I started to slide into the place where I wondered how many days we had left together and could feel the sadness welling up in me. I noticed she was getting low on some of her supplements and I felt paralyzed to decide if I should order more and if so, what quantity. I found myself checking on her more often in the middle of the night to make sure she was still breathing. I began feeling that anxiety creep in again, the anxiety that comes with being in limbo and not knowing how long this state of limbo will last and if I'll be able to handle it.

Today, in an effort to find "center" again, I tried to put my focus back on living in the moment . . . enjoying what the day brings without worrying about what tomorrow will or will not bring.

I took Lucky out to the pool at my complex so we could enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. I gave her a bath, and as usual I spent more time toweling her off than actually washing her, since the toweling-off part is her favorite part. We did our best to act like we didn't have a care in the world. It helped a bit . . . we both felt more carefree than we have the last couple of days . . . that is until we came back to the house and I noticed once again that she is low on some of her supplements.

I got on line to order another bottle and found they were back ordered. Was that a sign? Will I not end up needing another bottle? or should I keep searching for another source? Then I mixed up Lucky's dinner, with as many "exciting" ingredients as I could find and she wouldn't eat it. I sat down on the floor with her and tried hand feeding it to her but the first few bites she just spit back out on the blanket we were laying on. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down, tried to find my center. I told her that if she didn't want to eat, I wasn't going to force her, that I would like it if she ate, but it was her choice. I went into the kitchen to wash the concoction I had created off my fingers and when I walked back into the room, she was eating. She ate until the bowl was licked clean.

It got me thinking about this idea that communication really is a two way street. Yes, I want Lucky to eat, for a whole host of reasons but I need to remember that her thoughts and desires matter too. Often times when people find out I can communicate with animals, they excitedly say "Tell my dog I want her to do this" "Tell my cat I want him to do that" but on occasion when I tell these folks what their animal has to say, they aren't as interested in hearing it.

Recently, at water therapy, there was a dog who came to swim for her first time. She was having a really tough time, thrashing about in the water so they asked me to explain what she needed to do. I did that and the dog understood but the dog also wanted them to give her feedback, to let her know what specifically she was doing right and what specifically she needed to do differently. When I told this to the water therapist, she initially looked at me like I was crazy. It's like it takes people aback for a moment when you tell them what the animal wants. Fortunately, that only lasted a minute or two and then she started to give the dog the specific feedback she was asking for.

I can't really blame people for being initially confused by their animal's responses because I remember my own experience about 12 years ago, when I worked with an animal communicator (This was before I had reconnected with my own ability) and I was trying to get help dealing with some of Lucky's debilitating fears. The feedback the communicator gave me was "Lucky likes the color green, she wants a green blanket on her bed and more green around the house, like green throw pillows on the couch."

I wasn't thrilled by the "communication' that was being shared with me. I had recently bought Lucky a new blue blanket for her bed (that matched the decor in our bedroom) and I had purple throw pillows on the couch. Was I really going to need to go buy new pillows and blankets? and was that going to have any impact at all on her debilitating fears? I couldn't quite wrap my mind around how having a green blanket on her bed was going to make her less inclined to throw up when she saw another dog that frightened her.

Over the years, I have learned that the wants and needs of animals are important, regardless of whether or not we understand why. I think that they have the ability to see the "big picture" in a way that we don't and that we might be better off if we just trust them and trust that they know what they are doing.

I have a client whose cat has been fighting cancer so I have been treating her weekly. Every time I came to the house, we always did the Reiki treatment in the same room. Then out of the blue one day, she wanted to receive her Reiki treatment in a different room. The next week, she wanted to be somewhere else in the house. I told this sweet cat's guardian that I thought we should trust her cat, that I believed there was a reason she wanted to receive Reiki in different places in the house, even if we didn't fully understand why. She was still incredibly receptive to the energy, so I knew it wasn't a case of her not wanting to get a Reiki treatment. I sensed she had a bigger plan, one that her mom and I were not privy to. It has gotten to be a little joke with us now, where we say "Hmm, I wonder where we'll end up tonight" when I come over to give Reiki to her cat. I don't know yet what her cat's reason is, but I do suspect it has something to do with exposing the rest of the house and the various family members to the energy.

I had another client who called me because she was really worried about the health of one of her cats. He has been sickly and lethargic and she was really concerned about him. When I arrived for our appointment, I was surprised to see that her cat was doing just fine. I didn't pick up anything from him that concerned me. He seemed healthy and happy, which surprised his guardian as well. As she and I continued to talk, she began to share with me some emotional and physical challenges she is currently facing. Then she asked if I did Reiki treatments for people and I told her I absolutely did. She decided to start getting Reiki treatments for herself and has been feeling better than she has in months. Is it possible that her cat only pretended to be sick so that she would call me up and open the door for her own healing? I can't say it is out of the realm of possibilities.

I continue to believe that animals know more than we realize, and that if we can trust them and trust that they have an insight into the bigger picture of life, we'll all be better off.