yummy Oreo treats

I know who I am at the core, in essence. I am a soul temporarily inhabiting this body named Jenice. I am a divine spark, a boundless and infinite energy capable of using the faculties of my spirit, my mind and, yes, even my body, in miraculous and profound ways. Yet, I am baffled by my consistent forgetfulness of this knowing.  Despite numerous experiences over my forty nine years confirming the bountifulness of my being, I still find that I need reminders - daily reminders. My intellect seems to assist little in this regard, and may even be the veil or distraction that clouds my remembering.

This particular morning, my black and white cocker spaniel, Oreo, was my reminder. From the moment we stepped outside for his morning walk, we both were alerted to an annoying (my description, not Oreo’s!) gawking of a bird. The noisy chatter came from a distance, yet the crisp cold air allowed the sound to travel clearly and loudly. Immediately, Oreo began searching roof and tree tops for the source of this clatter, as did I. He pulled on the leash, dragging me past neighbor’s houses and foregoing his typical pleasures (that is, hiking his leg and marking his terrain). Eventually, he came to an abrupt halt at a large old evergreen, which the crow used as its podium.

As Oreo charged at the bird (meaning he charged at the tree!), I literally laughed out loud at the idea that he believed he could actually catch the bird perched at the tip top of this massive tree! And his relentless barking just seemed to compound the noise nuisance, drama and humor of the situation. 

 My thoughts were logical: Oreo can’t fly, so why try? He is absolutely no threat to a stubborn, aggressive black bird safely sitting well beyond his reach. By my assessment, Oreo’s efforts were absurd and ridiculous; wasted energy and focus and hope.

And then...the crow abandoned his perch, apparently annoyed by Oreo’s incessant barking and attention.

Oreo succeeded, in spite of my lack of belief that he could, would, should. My darned “dumb” friend acting on instinct and essence, without the self-imposed limitations of doubt, improbability, logic, waste, disbelief – all manufactured by a “smarter” animal’s mind - succeeded in his efforts. And he had a blast at it too!

Instead of laughing at my dog, I was now quietly chuckling at myself. My authentic and determined dog had just unknowingly gifted me with several reminders of the day:

-to allow and be present with my natural motivation, drive and instinct

-to go with the flow

-to have fun in my actions

-to pursue my dreams

-to not allow my critical, negative, limiting thinking to stop me from trying, pursuing, being

Good boy, Oreo. Thank you for the yummy treats!