From Pucci to Pudding

catching the light

ernie is a practiced catcher of the morning light...

happy nappy

ernie reminds me that daily happy nappies are necessary and most enjoyable...

ernie in repose

i saw ernie reclining after our morning ritual of power stroll through the neighborhood, rousing game of rope toy, followed by breakfast. he was such a pleased pup in repose on the pillows that i had to snatch my phone and snap a few frames to capture the joy of the moment. and isn't that what pups are splendid at... appreciating the moment?

doggie interlude

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace."

~ Milan Kundera

pay attention to what's inside

cesar millan, the dog whisperer, always shares some a-ha moment for me in each of his episodes that i apply with positive results to both my evolving relationship with my pup ernie but to my relationship with myself and my relationships with everyone.

as cesar was walking a dog who had given its owner much trepidation because of his leash aggression, the owner remarked, "you aren't even paying attention to the dog." cesar immediately corrected the guy, saying, "oh but i am, i'm paying attention to what's inside me."

by being calm, grounded, vividly seeing the positive outcome of the walk that he intended, cesar was enabling the dog to see that same outcome and to be that energy as well.

i realize that my frustration, my trepidation, my lack of conviction or trust in the outcome i envision or want to envision is dramatically impacting our happiness--mine, ernie's, my squeeze's. ernie is not an easy pup and even though we're only into month 6 with him (and yes, he's made profoundly positive strides in that time) we still have significant work to do on calm behavior in the home with us when he's overly curious, or wound up. rules, boundaries, limitations, cesar advises. his other oft-repeated mantra is exercise, discipline, affection.

since i've taken the pay attention to what's inside me advice to heart, i am a much more confident person with ernie. he responds to me differently. and the shift was immediate. we still have work to do, a lifetime of it no doubt, as we are all works in progress. but perhaps respect and groundedness and balance are sprouting where they may have been ambiguous before.

thank you, cesar. as he also says, we don't get the dog we want. we get the dog we need.

 

dogs as artists of life

wildly innovative architect frank gehry's curator observed that either you believe in the white cube, or if you're an artist, you want to be challenged. truth. challenge is what keeps us returning to the blank canvas, the white page, the improvised meal. it inspires us to explore, to try new combinations, to seek fresh solutions. and it terrifies us. but we love the danger, the tickle, the thrill, the heightened feeling of being alive and open to composing on the fly.

dogs love to be challenged. that is a sure path to zen for ernie. to be challenged. ernie was not an urban dog when he joined me in my downtown atlanta home five months ago. sirens, statues, motorcycles, shopping carts, rolling luggage--they all caused him concern to panic. but as we have been working on confidence, which only comes from experiencing each scary thing and being with it, i see him working through his challenge internally. his process is to sit when he hits his the limit of his comfort zone and then when he has worked it out for himself that he is ok, he can move forward. sometimes just a few steps. but forward movement in new territory is a keen challenge. after a challenge, there is celebration of the new stretch (a rousing game of rope toy is a fave) and then a peaceful nap.

i'm grateful to dogs as some of my most profoundly impactful mentors. dogs are artists of living. their commitment to love, to play, to quiet time, to honoring their truths, to simple truths, and being patient with us humans, who let's face it, speaking for myself, will always be growing into a better me, g-d willing.

with my commitment to myself to live a more balanced, grounded life and not let stress impact my health, happiness or creativity, i certainly am conscious of how diligent i am being now in taking my cues from ernie on relaxing. when we walk, my arm is loose, the leash is loose, i breathe deeply and consciously embody a calm unruffled dog mommy. and he's braver and happier. when i ratchet up stress--in my shoulders, holding on to my breath, hunching over--then he reflects it back to me as a frustrated pup.

i am grateful and excited to be on this give and take journey with ernie as i live towards being as effortless an artist of life as he is.

 

BE the ENERGY

i've had the most delicious a-ha moment in working with ernie. i've started to wonder, am i working with him or is he working with me? i think it is mutual. but the a-ha is this, the most effective communications are not ones that are cerebral or stem solely from thoughts. when we embody the energy of our intentions, that's when we see the best results.

ernie is still insecure about much in the urban landscape and frequently sits or shuts down on walks when we approach scary things like the metro system, statues, sirens, etc. my issuing verbal directives and encouraging with treats gets us a little progress but not a lasting progress. however, when i FEEL positive and peaceful (no grtting my teeth, no anticipating a negative outcome) about what i am asking him to do, he reads that loud and clear and surprises me with his confidence to do what he was hesitant to do before.

i've heard, known, practiced this lesson before. but as with many lessons in life, we get them when we get them. we now are practicing calming, sitting and laying down without verbal cues but just with energy... i breathe deeply and slowly, FEELING the calm, blink slowly at him and think about settling and sitting. low and behold, he sits. it's such a privilege to feel connected on this level! i know that developing energy consciousness carries benefits through all aspects of life. whether working with pups, clients or other relationship dynamics, energy speaks volumes more than words can.

what's more, energy IS our truth. dogs are incapable of dishonesty. whatever their energy is, is how they are feeling and shows us what their needs are. they can't cloak their needs in deceptive words. they don't manipulate through deceit. if we took this pivotal energy lesson from our pups, BE the ENERGY, we could be truest to ourselves, to others, and focus on the simplicity of our one truth, our energy. not the masks or deceptions we may practice, whether consciously or unconsciously.

BE the ENERGY you intend. FEEL your intentions. it's a powerful elevation beyond just thinking about our intentions. cerebral is good. but FEELING holds the key to transforming thoughts into being.

puppy joy

puppy ernie starts each day with joy. i am in the practice as of this new year of setting a daily intention for myself. it is helping me ground in a positive energy for the day and i can feel and see the difference it makes for me. typically, i set simple but all-ecompassing intentions like: live the positive possibilities, see the beauty, find the joy, come from love, celebrate, be in gratitude. ernie's intention for each day is inspirational. it's to play and unleash joy. before our morning outing, when we return from our morning outing, and at least a pawful of other opportunities in our days, we share rope toy time. he grabs his rope toy, looks at me expectantly, and shakes it in his mouth to signal that it would be a fabulous time to play. he brings such joy to my days just in this simple act. he reminds me in the purest way that play is just as key to a happy healthy day, heart, life as earning our kibble is. here's to days rich in play. when we think we don't have time for it is precisely when we need it most.  thank you, ernie, my rope toy boy!

ernie in the early morning

the morning pink glow in winter is gorgeous. i love the early light. as ernie blossoms into his love-filled, trusting, curious, impish, playful, handsome self, i am inspired to catch his energy in different ways.

 

new year's wishes