How I learned to trust and surrender

Trust is the sweetest thing

We have so much to learn from our four legged friends. Unconditional love, trust, surrender,

Here's Gladys, fit and healthy save for wobbly back legs some of the time - sitting down is more of a thud than a graceful glide these days but hey, she's good and that's so much more than anyone gave us hope for a few weeks ago!

This little lady has taught me so much - or is it what I already knew but she's brought into my awareness?  They do say pets reflect their owners so maybe there's some truth in that.

Our relationship started as a battle of wills really - Gladys with her strong personality and me with mine yet we have mellowed and yielded into a place of mutual trust and respect.

So what have I learned from my four legged friend?

Take your Time

Initially she taught me you can't take anything or anyone for granted.  Our perception of what we want, or think we want is not necessarily the reality of a situation.  I really did assume I'd be able to walk into a kennel, choose a rescue greyhound and the poor thing would be so grateful for a good home that the whole process would be easy peasy - Not!  I wrote about our beginnings HERE.  Life situations, especially where there's a commitment involved require thought and consideration.  Being naive, impulsive and jumping in with both feet can be a joyous experience but it's often short lived.  gladys was having none of it and very quickly neither was I.

Give yourself time and space to make a decision and go with your gut feeling - No other person can tell you what you want - Your answers truly are all inside.

"Do one thing every day that scares you"  Eleanor Roosevelt

And what of her collapsing and losing the use of her legs?

2. Trust and Surrender

Holding onto the reins so tightly that we always have control is okay when all's rolling along and hunky dory but what happens when something goes awry? Gladys's inability to move rendered her helpless and enabled me to witness what happens when we surrender and trust the process - people, things, events move into action. Folks are kind, compassionate and generous beyond belief if we allow them to be - how often do we give them the opportunity to demonstrate these gifts, or give ourselves permission to receive unless there's an emergency?

Hard as it may be, give yourself permission to ask for and receive assistance occasionally, especially if you are a perfectionist - trust that someone else could deliver besides yourself, give them the satisfaction of lending a helping hand - you never know you might actually enjoy the experience.

“You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude”  Eleanor Roosevelt

3. Dogged determination (no pun intended)

On the evening I had that dreaded decision to make because the prognosis seemed so bad - I couldn't see beyond a helpless animal being bed bound and incapacitated - my daughter and I visited the vet's surgery with thoughts of having to say farewell.  We were greeted by plaintive eyes and a motionless body save for a wagging tail. As a last ditch attempt to get Gladys on her feet I was shown how to create a cradle with a towel around her chest in order to maneuver her around - Have you ever tried lifting an almost seven stone gangly weight with jelly legs single handedly? - It isn't easy, and the prospect of doing this alone, in a cottage built on a hill with internal as well as external steps was a very scary prospect.  Then ... someone opened the back door - my car was in full view and what happened next could have been plucked from a Warner Brothers cartoon - talk about the dog seeing the rabbit - within a split second I was being hurled down the corridor - taking the weight of her body as she somehow found the momentum to lurch forward as she made her dash for freedom.  Front paws over the sill she collapsed, a nurse unceremoniously hoisted her rear onto the back seat and that was it decision made!!  It was like "If you think you've seen the last of me, you've got another think coming!"  Phew!!  The rest is history - marvellous neighbours, animal chiropractor, lots of TLC - one transformed pooch ... well, not quite as easily as that but you get my drift?

Know what you want and go for it no matter what.  Keep your focus, decide what is best for you, and find a way of getting there, even if it may seem like all the odds are stacked against you.  Anything is possible if you set your intention and have a great enough desire.

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.” Eleanor Roosevelt

What do you know that you forget to remember?

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