Starting Fresh
It’s the beginning of May 2023, and I find myself inspired to share my journal entry from this morning. After 3 years away from my blog/website, it feels somehow more private than social media, yet it still carries the excitement/trepidation of others possibly finding it. So here it goes…
I awoke up from an exhausting night’s sleep . I can’t remember the endlessly, repetitive dream enough to write about it, but it felt like it was playing in a continuous loop.
Tired and groggy, I walk around the kitchen and living room wondering if May might have a different routine than April did. As I feel into this, I realize that the energy of April felt for me like a seed pushing forth out of its casing, then reaching for its True North until finally, with great effort, piercing the earth and breaking through into the grander world… vulnerable, yet proud that it had made it this far.
May is scarier. It is about shooting forth in this grand world, being seen, making a statement … knowing it could get trampled at any moment. It’s also about never, ever forgetting to tend to its roots.
It is scary, it is exciting… and OF COURSE, it requires a different routine.
So, today, I look at the pile of dog food on the floor.
Giza spilled the food last night while she was pulling the paper out of the box that I had scattered her food inside of to make her ‘work’ for it. I pushed it into a pile last night so it wouldn’t be stepped on and ground into our carpet, but I left it on the floor in case she wanted to finish eating it.
“She doesn’t like the food,” is the story that tries to play through my mind now. But that, I realize, is an April story and this is May.
I stop myself from scooping it into the dustpan and tossing it outside where she might find it later or, much more likely, the free range dog next door, Bailey, will sniff it out on her daily search for treasures and nibble it up. Instead, I start shooting the pieces across the floor, like my kitchen is a giant crokinole board and her food the rings I get to flick.
Giza loves it and runs after every one, gobbling them up as quickly as I flick them. “May Debbie” feels encouraged and playful as a result of my success and grabs 3 chicken treats, stuffing them into various dog toys to further the game.
That task done, I pull out my yoga mat and turn on Day 1 of a 30 day yoga challenge. Ten to 15 minutes every morning of yoga still feels perfect for me. I love how that short bit of time stretches everything out and makes me feel stronger throughout the day. I also love that people like, Kassandra, post such a variety of excellent Yoga videos/challenges on Youtube for free. It’s been 4 months now of this daily commitment, and after about a 15 year break, I like how it’s making me feel.
While settling into my downward facing dog, Giza decides she is an actual dog, with a need to go outside. I tell her to settle and, to my happy surprise, she does. When yoga finishes, I feel like I need to hold strong to my implied part of the agreement and take her out.
The timing is perfect, as I am now ready to get my barefeet on the earth and soak up some of the negative electrons from Mama Gaia. I love picturing all the unhelpful energy leaving my body and going into the earth to be purified and released back as healthy energy… in fact, later today I might even lay on the earth to really get it all out.
The ground is damp and cold this early in the day, so I know I won’t stay out long…plus hubby is just getting ready to head into the office, so Giza is distracted.
I’m inspired to do some more ‘work’ with her. Grabbing a handful of chicken chunks that I cooked and cut up on the weekend, I wait until the car is starting to move forward.
Giza still finds it hard to disengage from one of her favorite people leaving, so when she starts moving in the direction of his car, I call her excitedly in the opposite direction. As she comes towards me I reward her richly with chicken while telling her how brilliant she is. We do this a few times as the Mini Cooper disappears on the curvy road.
My feet are starting to hurt from the cold, so I head inside where I can watch Giza from a window. My feet thaw quickly and I’m inspired again to grab some food (dried liver chunks from a package this time) and go out on the deck where I can toss these for her to chase, catch or sniff out.
Two minutes later I’m back in the house feeling quite content with the first 1/2 hour of my day. I know that, like the weather, my routine will vary daily throughout May, but as long as it starts with some self-care and a happily tuckered dog, everything else feels like icing on the cake.
I don’t know why I felt guided to share this story today, but I suppose if it makes even one person smile, or gives them ‘permission’ to change up their day and bring some fun and inspiration into it, then it has done something wonderful in the world… and that feels like a fresh start indeed.
