I inherited Roxy two months ago. She is the most loving and well behaved dog I have ever known. When she first came to live with me, she was a bit overweight. OK, “a bit” is being kind. She previously had lived where an apple tree dropped a ubiquitous supply of its fruit on a daily basis. Even though the apples were cleaned up in the morning, by the evening she would be lounging amidst a pile of cores left behind from consumed apples. Needless to say, the extreme amount of food consumption along with the lack of exercise created a fat golden retriever.
Since I am athletically inclined I took it upon myself to walk her every day. We started out with two 10 minute daily walks on flat land. In the beginning, she could not walk up or down our driveway as it sits on a steep hill. So, I picked all 75 pounds of her and loaded her into the car to drive down the driveway to begin our exercise routine.
Each day she made remarkable strides. Within a week she was up to two walks a day at 20 minutes each. Her weight began to normalize and her energy levels have increased tenfold. In only two months she is now able to walk up to two hours per day and the driveway is a piece of cake! She is a living miracle.
I, myself, have been an avid walker since I was 8 months old. I remember my mother putting me in the stroller so that she could take her daily walks. Only, I would get out of the stroller and walk along side of her. The three of us, me, my mom and the empty stroller would have a nice outing. By the time I reached high school I was walking about 10 miles a day. I always enjoyed the energy I felt from the exercise I was getting and the scenery was a nice bonus.
At first, I considered my walks as exercise, but I began to notice a change in me recently. Walking was not only giving me a workout, I also felt a deep sense of calm that I had not known before. It became more of a meditation for me. My awareness increased significantly as I noticed the layers of sights, scents, sounds and feelings that were opening up inside me. Walking was not just about exercising my body, but exercising my spirit, as well.
While walking, the cool morning air caresses my skin and the wind helps to clear the smoke from the California fires burning throughout the state. The sun barely peeks above the horizon, yet it is still able to light my path. The array of trees offers me the comfort of shade from the inevitable heat.
I notice the healing aroma of lavender wafting through the air and I am reminded of France. Around the corner the scent of roses fill me so that I can almost taste the flavor on my tongue. A little further down the path eucalyptus penetrates my nose. I am not the only one delighting in the fragrances as the dog sniffs her way through the grass and plants.
I look forward every morning to seeing my neighbor’s perfectly shaped crepe myrtle tree with its fuscia flowers announcing themselves to me. I consider this my “tree of life” as I admire it every day.
I am then greeted every morning by 5 Greek Nymphs who live in another garden I pass. While they are statues, my mind creates stories behind them. They are living beings happily attending to their gardens making sure just the right amount of water is being fed to their blooms.
Splashes of indigo, fuscia, pink, white, blue, red, purple, all the colors of the rainbow adorn each flower and align my route. The various shades of green on each of the trees, grasses and plants show nature’s ability to create. Each color fulfills my sense of artistry. Monet would have loved painting this scene and I am filled with a deep sense of awe and appreciation that the Universe has created such an abundance of color merely for my enjoyment.
I continue on and I notice rocks rest where a creek once stood. Instead of water pouring over them, plants are finding their way through each crack and calling it home.
I become aware that some people trim their oleander bushes, while others allow them to be a full explosion of pink or white blooms. One neighbor keeps their oleanders so thick I wonder what is behind them. Is it a “secret garden” that only certain special people can find? Someone painted the word “waive” and an arrow on the sidewalk leading to the oleander. One morning, I actually waived feeling that maybe there was an angel waiting on the other side. I laughed at my creative thought process and realized someone already wrote the The Secret Garden…I couldn’t get credit for this one.
Individual leaves from the eleven poplar trees seemingly waive back and forth to me as I pass. The sound of their leaves touching one another as the wind breezes through them is unique and reminds me of ocean waves crashing on the beach. I look up and I wonder how tall these trees will grow. It seems that it would take 20 of me to reach the top. Their majesty rules the land.
Occasionally I see a buck, but more frequently I meet a doe with her two fawns. We might gaze at each other and I then say hello. I feel honored that they are comfortable and don’t run away from me. After a time, they leap through the air with ease and I think to myself that Deer must be the most graceful of all the creatures.
Instead of “lions, tigers and bears,” I see butterflies, dragonflies and ladybugs…oh my!
Lizards and spiders that once scared me catch my interest as they scurry around through the various rocks and dirt.
As I walk past the bees, I thank them in my mind for protecting me and not stinging in me.
The memory from childhood of Rocky from Rocky and Bullwinkle fame sparks through my mind as I witness squirrels flying through the air as the jump from branch to branch or they defy gravity by climbing up a fence or tree. I wonder how they do it. Roxy tries to introduce herself to all the squirrels, but the leash holds her back.
An extended family of turkeys, hunt for food and I am astounded when I see these large birds actually fly. While I know they are birds, I had incorrectly assumed they were flightless. My family complains about the turkeys, but I think their brown and white spotted feathers are quite lovely and wonder if in history, Native Americans used them in ceremonies. Later that evening, while at a shamanic journeying class I see a rattle with its ends adorned with wild turkey feathers. My intuition was correct.
The sweet small-bodied hummingbirds gather around a feeder as their wings flap back and forth more quickly than anything I have ever seen before. They fly so close to me, I could reach out and touch them.
The quails seem to always be with their partnered off as they look for food. I am curious if they mate for life.
As I look upwards I see and abundance of birds. Some dance their way from branch to branch, while others fill the sky at various altitudes. I envision an air traffic control site filled with birds managing the flight patters of their friends.
Along with what I am seeing my ears are attuned, as well. Coming from all directions in true surround-sound, I hear the various sounds of nature: a gentle stream rolling down a hill over some rocks; the caws of crows, and the variety of chirping from different songbirds creating a symphony of sounds with the woodpeckers and the wind chimes keeping the rhythm section going.
I want all my senses involved and I reach out and sweep my hands over the leaves and flowers of different plants, feeling each of their differing textures. An oleander flower feels as soft as a down pillow while a pine tree prickles against my hand.
Roxy enjoys a brief shower from the sprinklers. And then another dog approaches. They quarrel for a moment, but then as the dogs pass each other, they have already forgotten and move onto the next thing. There is no dwelling on a bad situation with their thoughts. Their minds are not creating the suffering we humans do. Eckhart Tolle writes about this “power of now” and living in the moment. I witness its beauty for the first time on my walk with the dog.
I suddenly have a burst of energy move through the crown of my head. Before my walk my mood was a little on the murky side. Now, I am using all my senses to truly connect with nature for the first time and I am feeling wonderful!
In the world we live in it is sometimes challenging to remember that we are a part of nature ourselves. We often ignore that fact by moving at ridiculously fast-paced speeds. Instead of watching TV at night, I encourage you to get up and commune with nature. Create your own stories behind what you see. Activate your mind, body and spirit and enjoy the awesome surroundings that are a natural part of you.
Thank you for reading and Namaste! (The Light in me recognizes the Light in you!)
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