Sonni
Dear friend,
It’s a Zara day. She’s sleeping on the tiles near the fridge after a slightly challenging morning coming over here with Katie on the tube. Zara was okay with the tube—but now it looks like she’s not. She lunged and barked on the way down to the trains this morning, and when Katie arrived here, both were a little shaky emotionally.
I have a habit of reading what I’m writing out loud under my breath—Zara opens one watchful eye. I love that about shepherds. You’re always under surveillance in the nicest possible way.
Later this morning, we’ll be meeting Sonni and his humans, Joe and Ben. Sonni might be coming for an extended stay, depending on how well this first visit goes. He’s a rescue—50 kg of gentle giant—reactive with French bulldogs. Ben and Sonni are coming for a meet and greet to see if he’ll be happy here while his family go abroad for a time.
It worked out that Zara was here for the visit.
So much does work out—it’s worth reminding myself of that. I’m learning to trust and lean back into life. It reminds me of when I began to practice forgiveness and started letting go of judging others. You get to a place where you just know—it’s time to go deeper.
This morning I was re-reading Paramahansa Yogananda’s Scientific Healing Affirmations, a tiny booklet that teaches you how to focus your attention on a vision of life you want to experience. Sometimes I’ll stay with a few sentences for days or weeks, and every time I return to them, the words seem to take me deeper into simplicity.
Ideas that once seemed grand and exciting become no less exciting—but in a quiet way. Like the fullness and sweetness of wild blackberries that fascinate and thrill you with their abundance—when you slow and look and taste and breathe in their scent. Or trees waving their branches as the wind sings through their summer foliage.
In the book, Yogananda—the great Indian saint and master—says there is no greater power than Cosmic Consciousness, or God, whose power far surpasses that of the human mind.
From this point of view, it makes sense to use the power of our mind to make contact with the Divine and to live a connected life. And I can say from experience: this is true. You begin to feel a peaceful luminescence just beyond the surface of things. It comes and goes, depending on how agitated the mind is.
When the mind is soothed and stilled by breathing and contemplation, the feeling is stronger than during a mind storm of worry and doubt and fear.
It’s very simple in truth. Nothing complicated about it.
But we do love to make things complicated.
Behind the phenomena of our world is a loving presence that is manifesting the universe.
Joe and Ben Sonni have just left after their visit. He’s a big soft cuddly mastiff–Labrador cross, who Joe and Ben told me was mistreated to the point that he hyperventilates if left alone. We’re trying to work out if he can stay with me for a time while his humans go abroad to get married.
My main concern is that he really suffers if left alone.
You meet so many lovely, lovely people looking after dogs.
It was the same when I was a teacher—and in my coaching practice—and just life in general.
You watch the news and it can feel like the whole human race has lost the plot, but it’s not like that at all. People are good.
Good people.
We’re everywhere.
It’s good to remind ourselves of that—and to include ourselves in it.
Sonni will come over for a weekend try-out.
Let’s see.
I’m so enjoying this new adventure with the doggie day care.
It reminds you about what matters most.
It’s all about love.
Always.
Till tomorrow
Love
Mikey