Another "bad Monday." The emotional drain of trying to locate information about my father's surgeries, flashes of excerpts from my pathology report that float through my, worries about treatment options, angst about genetic mutations, recurrence and general panic about what the future has in store for me sent me into a tailspin.
We are blessed to share our house with several cats and dogs...each one a blessing in their own right. As I'm writing this blog, my short-legged, slightly plump black cat, Gus, is sitting on my shoulder. He's my "mantra" cat, with a very loud, soothing purr. I call him my "hat cat" because I usually awake with him sleeping very near my head.
My true caregiver and spiritual guide is Shelby, our 9-year old Golden Retriever. Dr. Jean Houston, renowned scholar, philosopher, and teacher describes the spiritual quality of pets in her book, "Mystical Dogs."
Shelby is very attentive to my emotional needs and sensitive to my crying, but above all else, she keeps me in the moment. Her therapy methods are simple ... she just simply "is." When I pet her she helps me slow down my breathing. When I look into her soulful eyes, she calms down my "chattering mind," and brings me back to the awareness of the now -- no worries about my cancer, treatments, prognosis, finances, work issues, or relationship challenges -- just the experience of interacting with her.
And, her love is unconditional. I once saw a poster that read, "Your dog loves you even when no one else does." Amen!
Namaste,
Chele
We are blessed to share our house with several cats and dogs...each one a blessing in their own right. As I'm writing this blog, my short-legged, slightly plump black cat, Gus, is sitting on my shoulder. He's my "mantra" cat, with a very loud, soothing purr. I call him my "hat cat" because I usually awake with him sleeping very near my head.
My true caregiver and spiritual guide is Shelby, our 9-year old Golden Retriever. Dr. Jean Houston, renowned scholar, philosopher, and teacher describes the spiritual quality of pets in her book, "Mystical Dogs."
Shelby is very attentive to my emotional needs and sensitive to my crying, but above all else, she keeps me in the moment. Her therapy methods are simple ... she just simply "is." When I pet her she helps me slow down my breathing. When I look into her soulful eyes, she calms down my "chattering mind," and brings me back to the awareness of the now -- no worries about my cancer, treatments, prognosis, finances, work issues, or relationship challenges -- just the experience of interacting with her.
And, her love is unconditional. I once saw a poster that read, "Your dog loves you even when no one else does." Amen!
Namaste,
Chele
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