If You See Something, Do Something

We are living in very challenging times.  If you watch the news, every sound byte gives us something else to feel awful about.  Even if you don't watch the news, the challenges we are facing in our society are everywhere we look.

If we keep looking at all the things we don't like in the world right now, chances are we're going to have a tough time getting out of bed each day and on top of that, since our thoughts manifest pretty quickly these days, we could end up attracting more things that make us unhappy.

So what's a person to do?  I'm finding that one of the best things we can do is:  Do something

One day I was walking on the beach looking for sea glass and met a nice gal who was picking up trash.  As we talked and walked together, I began joining her in picking up every little piece of trash we saw, no matter how small.  She inspired me that day to do my part. Rather than sit back and complain about people who don't clean up after themselves or wring my hands and worry about all that trash getting into the ocean and affecting sea life, she showed me that it could be as simple as just picking up the trash you see.

On subsequent beach walks, I have seen her again and she's introduced me to other "trash gatherers" who regularly walk the beach for that purpose.  All kind hearted souls who are making a difference, one piece of trash at a time.

So what about the homeless? Does it upset you when you see a homeless person shivering in the cold?  You could feel awful about it all night. You could spend some time being angry about all the reasons someone might end up homeless. Or you could give that person something to eat or give them some gloves to help them stay warm.  You don't need to get food and gloves for every single homeless person in the world - you can just help that one person. Maybe you don't have the money to buy them something, so what if you just smiled at them? or sent some love from your heart to theirs?

I know sometimes we can get overwhelmed with the breadth and depth of the issues we see. We often feel like the problems are too great and that there is no way we can make a difference ourselves but it doesn't mean we can't do something.  If everyone is doing something, no matter how small, collectively, it can add up to some really big positive results.

Finally, back to the topic of trash on the beach, I recently came across a company started by a couple young guys who wanted to start getting plastic out of the ocean and on the coastlines. They needed to raise some money to help their efforts so they began selling beaded bracelets. The bracelets come in different colors to support different marine life (I just got a dolphin bracelet). Each bracelet costs $20 and the profits go towards getting more plastic out of the ocean and disposing of it properly.  They say that each bracelet purchased will remove one pound of trash from the ocean and coastlines.

I thought their idea was brilliant . . . not only their goal to cleaning the earth's ocean, 1 pound at a time . . . but the fact that they are giving people an easy way to assist in their effort.  Not everyone has time to walk the beach and pick up trash, not everyone lives close enough to the ocean to do it either but for $20 you can support the guys who are doing this and even have a fun bracelet to wear.

If you'd like to learn more and help with their efforts, their website is:  www.4ocean.com

Adding on here . . . as I just stumbled across another incredible effort started by a few people who saw a problem and came up with a solution.  It's pop-up stores for the homeless.  If you are interested, here's a link to their site:  http://www.thestreetstore.org

Me Too

I woke up early this morning in the middle of the strangest dream.  I was either a detective or a CSI, working a serial killer case and we were trying to figure out if we'd be able to get a finger print off a plastic bag.  One of the detectives said they were looking at a potential accomplice but they were having trouble tracking him down. They wanted to know if I had been in touch with him because they knew he was someone I used to work with.  When they told me his name, he truly WAS someone I used to work with and he was the man who sexually harassed me at my first job out of college.  I told the detective I hadn't spoken to him since he left the company many decades ago and he said something about how karma had already come back around for him.  And then I woke up.

I laid there processing the dream for a while, wondering why he had shown up in my dream. Was the Universe letting me know that karma really had come back around for him?  Or was there some other message?

Unlike others in the MeToo Movement, I had been given the opportunity to speak up, my situation had been addressed and he was let go from the company.  I didn't have any more triggers around him or the situation. Since it had all been resolved, there wasn't a lingering feeling of injustice.

At the time there was, because his peers and the executives in our division ignored all the signs that he was harassing women . . . that is until they wanted to get rid of him for different reasons and then suddenly they all seemed to recall that maybe there had been harassment issues they should look into. They immediately called me into HR - not because they really cared about what they suspected I had been through - but because they knew it would help build a case against him.  And yet even though I was upset about that at the time, I had worked through all those emotions and had made my peace with how it had all unfolded.

So why was this coming up in my dreams?  Was there something else for me to see?

Thinking back to that time when I was an insecure 23 or 24 year old, I remembered how he laughed at me when I tried to stand up for myself.  I told him that if he didn't stop all the inappropriate behavior, I was going to report him to HR and he said "Go right ahead, who do you think they'll believe?  Someone like me with decades of professional experience? or some blonde bimbo fresh out of college?"

It definitely shut me down at the time, but in the years since then I had found my voice and my self esteem. Recalling his words no longer cause any emotional triggers in me so what else was I being shown?

As I continued to let my thoughts drift, I thought about the term "serial" in my dream and I remembered getting a look at his resume after he was let go.  I recall how stunned I was to see that in his 25 year career, he had already worked at about 13 companies.  My gut said that he was a serial harasser and I wondered why no one ever stopped him.  Further still, I remember how disappointed I was when I went to HR to speak to them about it and was told that HR laws prohibited them from telling a potential employer why he had left the company. That meant that the laws protected him and he could continue to go from one company to the next, harassing women again and again.

But why was this coming up now?

Then the next piece clicked into place.  Less than 24 hours earlier, I had received an email from the President of the college I went to all those years ago. It was a letter to all students and alumni apologizing for the fact that it had now come to light that the Jesuit retirement center on our campus had been housing priests that were on "supervised safety plans."  These priests that had been credibly accused of abuse towards men, women and children had been quietly moved from location to location, where they were credibly accused again . . . ultimately "retiring" on our campus. I felt nauseous while I was reading the email. There was my trigger.

The piece that still has a charge for me is the fact that church laws and corporate HR laws protect the abusers.  A person can go from company to company or from parish to parish and never have to reveal why they were asked to leave and therefore the abuse cycle continues.  No one is required to tell the truth but they are complicit in their silence. There is so much damage that is done through the "silence" that is supported by their internal "law."

Now I understood what the dream was about and I could see that I was being nudged to heal this last piece . . . the injustice I still feel over the protection the abusers get instead of protecting the abused.

I realize at first glance, this may not appear to have anything to do with animal communication or Reiki so you may wonder why I am writing about this in my blog.  I am sharing this because I have learned that the things that come up for us, in our dreams, in our seemingly unimportant interactions and in our random thoughts come up for a reason.  We are always being shown where our thoughts, beliefs and experiences are holding us back.  If we are willing to look at them, they can be a roadmap for us . . . to show us something that needs to be healed and released or to show us a next step in our journey.

The key is to slow down enough to notice these nudges.  I didn't slow down enough yesterday to notice my reaction when I read the email from my old college.  I just forwarded it on to my best friend from college with a note that said "Can you believe this?" but I didn't stop to think about the fact that I really had been triggered by it.  Fortunately I got another nudge during my dream state.  Sometimes I don't notice these nudges until I get the third piece of the puzzle or the fourth.  It honestly doesn't matter how long it takes us to notice these nudges and put the puzzle pieces together, as long as we eventually do.

Bath Time

If you read my blog, you know that Kino does not like getting baths.  He is better than he was when I first got him . . . that first year, he growled at me so ferociously during a bath that I was on edge the entire time, assuming that I could be bitten at any moment.  In the last few years, he has improved and now he only growls at the very end (when I am washing his head) and then gives me the silent treatment afterwards.  Bottom line, he just doesn't like getting baths.

A few weeks ago, I discovered something new about Kino's feeling about baths.  For his birthday this year, he got a pink stuffed dog.  I named her Rose and Kino loves Rose more than any of his other toys.  She is constantly in his mouth, he brings her to bed with him, naps with his head on her back and he flings her around wildly when I pull the vacuum cleaner out. No doubt, Rose has had a lot of "attention" since July.

One night, we were getting ready for bed and Kino brought Rose over to me, hoping we might play a game of tug of war with her.  As I was telling him I didn't think it was a good idea, I put my hand on her and was a bit grossed out.  Her fur, which used to be plush and silky soft was now starchy and stiff.  I took a closer look and noticed that she her fur was more of a brown color on most of her body instead of the bright pink she used to be so I said to Kino "I think we're going to need to give Rose a bath" and he promptly growled at me.  It took me by surprise. I said "What are you growling about??  She is really dirty.  We definitely need to give her a bath" and he growled at me again.  I assured him that a bath would not hurt her and then got on the computer to research "how to wash a stuffed toy" because I didn't want to be a liar.  :-)

The next day, I got out the Woolite and filled the sink in the guest bath with cold water.  Then I told Kino it was time for Rose to have a bath.  He started to growl as he ran to get her before I did. Fortunately, I got to her first.  I reminded him that the bath wasn't going to hurt her and that I was sure she'd enjoy being clean.

Following me into the bathroom, he stood right next to the sink and watched her get a bath.  He had his nose right up there on the edge of the sink the entire time. I kept saying things like "See, she's doing fine" and "Look how clean she is getting!  You can see her pink fur again."

As luck would have it, we were having wonderful weather so rather than risk putting her in the dryer, I was able to put her outside in the sun to dry.  I said "Rose is going to sunbathe now" and we went into the backyard.  I put her on a chair in the sun. He licked her once and then I got him to chase the tennis ball for a while.  When it was time to go back in the house, Kino went over to check on her and I reminded him that she would be fine, that she just needed to dry off.  That seemed to satisfy him and he went back inside but a couple hours later, he stood at the backdoor waiting for me to let him out in the yard.  When I opened the door, he ran straight over to Rose to make sure she was ok.  I said "See Kino, Rose is ok and it looks like she didn't mind getting a bath."  That time he didn't growl at me. He just looked up - as if he was trying to decide if he believed me or not.

For the next few days, I said "Look how good Rose looks!  She's so nice and clean after her bath" and there was no more growling. So it looks like, at least for now, Kino has accepted the fact that Rose might be getting baths from time to time. It will be interesting to see if Kino is any more cooperative the next time he gets a bath.

Bird Songs

One of the things that I love about where I live is amount of birds that visit my yard.  (Especially now that Kino has, for the most part, stopped chasing them out of the yard.)  Listening to their chirping and singing is something that I get to enjoy almost every day.

Last weekend, I had a funny bird experience. I was in the house cooking, the backdoor was open, and I had the music cranked up.  Suddenly, I became aware of a bird singing in the yard.  It was singing so loudly that I could hear it over the music.  Imagine that you have two radios blaring in two different rooms of the house, playing two different stations . . . it will start to give you a headache.

Turning my music off, I went into the backyard in search of the singing bird.  I could still hear him but I couldn't see him anywhere.  The singing continued so I grabbed my phone and made a video to capture the sound.  I was really curious what type of bird made this beautiful sound but since I couldn't see it, I knew I was going to have to identify it by it's song.

I sent the video to my dad and asked him if he had any thoughts.  He suggested a whippoorwill so I found a recording of a whippoorwill on the internet but it didn't match.  Then I sent it to one of my best friends and asked her if she recognized the bird but she didn't.  I stood outside for a while again, searching the trees for the bird but still couldn't find him.

About an hour later, I got a text from my friend with a video . . . and it was the same bird singing away in her yard about 6 hours north of me.  Well, it wasn't the SAME bird - LOL - but clearly one of his relatives.  She couldn't see the bird in her yard either. Now we both really felt driven to figure out what bird this was.

I sent the recording to my cousin because her husband knows a lot about birds but felt I needed to keep trying to figure it out so back to the internet I went.  I listened to more bird recordings that night than I ever thought I would. I did every kind of search I could think of . . . and finally I found one that was close.  It wasn't the exact song, but it was close.  That was when I realized the bird in my yard (and my friend's yard) did a 3 note song so I started searching for birds that have 3 note songs.  I went to bed defeated that night though.

The next day, I was sitting the backyard drinking my coffee and I heard him again.  I texted my friend and she wrote back immediately and said she heard it in her yard too.  Now we were starting to feel there had to be a reason for it - maybe a message for us so I felt inspired to try again . . . and finally several hours later I figured it out!

We were being serenaded by a Golden Crowned Sparrow!  I was so excited to figure it out!  I immediately emailed my friend and my dad and let them know the good news.  I giggled when I read that they are the masters of camouflage - that must have been the reason we could never SEE the bird singing in our yards. Later that night, I emailed my cousin to tell her she could ignore my previous plea for help, as I had figured it out.

Once I had basked in the joy of figuring out what the bird was, I looked into what it means when a sparrow shows up and makes itself known.  One source said "The sparrow is small, but it has big meaning and lessons.  The first is to enjoy the little things in life and happily embrace simplicity."  The article also said, "She beckons us to keep our burdens light as we can in order to avoid a heavy heart."

My friend and I felt the message was fitting for both of us right now and we were glad we paid attention.

A couple days later, I found a text message from my cousin when I got up and it said "I hear the bird outside my window right now!"

It seems that all three of us needed to get the message of the sparrow.

A Happy Accident

For the last 8-9 months, one of my biggest challenges every day has been trying to get Kino to drink water.  Since his stomach is frequently upset, he has almost no interest in drinking. I can understand that because I don't crave water when I have an upset stomach either yet I also know how important it is to keep him hydrated.

Multiple times a day we go through the frustrating ritual of me sitting on the floor holding his bowl and asking him to drink some water.  He will have a couple sips and then step backwards.  I ask him again to please drink some more water - sometimes he'll have a few more sips - sometimes he won't and sometimes the begging on my part continues.  If I don't hold the bowl and insist he drink some, he won't go near it. If I am wearing shorts, he thinks it's great fun to lick my legs instead of drinking from the bowl.  I try to roll with it most days, although I can't say I enjoy the sensation of his tongue all over my legs, but I often follow up my "bath" by saying, "You've got to wash all that salt down, why don't you drink some water." Fortunately, he will usually have a few more laps of water.

I realized in recent months that the whole "get Kino to drink water" is one of the biggest stresses in my life and one I really want to change.  I have tried giving him ice cubes because he likes them but his stomach is so sensitive to cold that if he swallows an ice cube, he vomits within about 2 minutes, sometimes sooner. Not fun for either of us.

A few weeks ago,  I cooked up a batch of chicken thighs and chicken livers in the crock pot, since Kino is now allergic to beef.  While I was attempting to stir it and ensure it was cooked all the way through, I somehow managed to fling a chicken thigh in such a manner that it went up in the air and then splashed back down into the crock pot, throwing water up out of the pot, all over the counter, down the front of the cupboard and into Kino's water bowl by my feet.  I was trying to contain my frustration at the mess I had just made when Kino came running into the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about.  He sniffed his bowl and then drank the entire contents.  I stood there in disbelief.  Had Kino really just drank a bowl of water - on his own??  Without me holding the bowl and begging him to drink???

Would it work again?  I wasn't sure if it was just a one time thing so I pulled out more of the water from the crock pot and put it in a bowl.  A while later, I put a teaspoon of the chicken water in his water bowl and within seconds, he had finished the entire bowl.  I was overjoyed!  And that may seem like a bit of an overreaction but if any of you have ever struggled to get your pet to drink water, I know you understand.

So, now we have a new ritual.  Kino and I play for a bit and when we stop I say, "Do you need some water?" and he stares at me.  So then I say, "Do you need me to add the magic juice?" and he excitedly runs into the kitchen and stands next to his bowl.  I don't even know how I began calling it the "magic juice" but in some ways, it truly is exactly that.

With each new batch of food I make for him, I strain off a cup of the water so that we have enough "magic juice" to last us until we make the next batch.  I am shocked at how much easier life is these days.  Kino is still throwing up every three to four days but the fact that I have a way to get him to drink water throughout the day is enough to keep my outlook positive.

When I told my dad about my "happy accident" he said I should bottle the "magic juice" and sell it to other people who can't get their pets to drink water.  I decided instead to just share my experience here so if any of you reading this are having an issue with getting fluid into your pets, maybe something similar will work for you.

Another Set Back

Just when I thought we were making some headway on getting Kino healthy again, we had another set back.  After all we went through a year ago dealing with his food allergies and finally finding something he could eat, it appears that he has developed an allergy to the limited ingredient food I have been making him.  To say this was disappointing is an understatement.

The other day I was sitting at the dining table, with my head in my hands . . . I could feel the fear swirling up inside of me and the feeling of hopelessness.  I know it's not a place I want to "sit" - not only because it's uncomfortable and unproductive to sit in fear and hopelessness - but because I know that if I stay in that place, I will draw in more experiences that match that vibration.  I was sitting there pondering all of that and trying to determine how I was going to shift my attention, and therefore my vibration, to something else when Kino walked into the room.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him sit in front of the sliding glass door as he keenly focused on something in the yard.  I finally looked over to see what he was looking at and much to my surprised there were 3-4 birds walking around the yard, a couple feet away from the sliding glass door.

I couldn't believe my eyes for a minute . . . Kino was WATCHING the birds.  He wasn't barking and throwing himself at the door the way he did when he first came to live with me.  He wasn't coming unglued because "something was in his yard!"  He was just watching them.  In that moment, I felt like my request had been granted.  Something positive for me to think about instead.  Wow - my boy really has come a long way.  I hugged him and thanked him for helping me shift out of the mindset I had been in.

Later that day, he gave me another one of those little "gifts" when we were out for a walk.  We were walking down the street when out of the blue a cat walked across the street in front of us.  Kino's ears perked up and I felt his body get a little rigid so I said "Kino, leave it" and while he didn't look at me immediately like he's supposed to, his body did relax.  I laughed to myself as I thought about the "old Kino" . . . I'll never forget one of our first walks after he came out of the shelter . . .  he saw a cat and the most frightening sound erupted from him . . . a combination of a howl and bark that was so loud and so manic, he sounded like he had just been gravely injured.  The sound continued as he added in lunging and odd body convulsions.  That was how Kino used to respond to seeing a cat and I took a moment to feel very very grateful that those days are behind us.  :-)

Thanks to Kino, I had a couple examples of how to shift my thinking and therefore my energy.  Since then it has been much easier to move myself out of the fear when it comes up.  Kino is still sick and I still haven't figured out what to do to help him get better but with his assistance, I'm having an easier time finding things to be grateful for.

Eclipse and Full Moon Energies

For many people, the last three weeks have been pretty turbulent.  There were some major influxes of energy coming into the planet between the partial eclipse earlier this month and the full eclipse that occurred a couple of days ago.  Some folks are still experiencing the lingering affects that may continue for the next week.  I came across this explanation of what's been happening and how it has been affecting many of us and everyone I shared it with said "Wow!  Exactly!" so I figured it might be helpful to share it with a wider audience.

These energies have also been affecting animals.  Has your pet been uninterested in eating some days?  Or not interested in drinking water some days? or throwing up?  Has your pet been more lethargic? Has your dog been on edge and barking more than usual?   I have seen all these things occurring with my animal clients and with my own dog.  They are so in tune with energies, they often feel them more intensely than we do.  If the symptoms come and go, most likely it is a result of these powerful energies we've been experiencing.  Give them some extra love and be as gentle and kind with them as you can.  And even more importantly, be gentle and kind with yourself.  These energies are more powerful than anything we've ever experienced before and they've really pushed us out of our comfort zones.