Befriending the Wind

The New Year Brings a New Path

As I leave behind 2010 and cross the threshold into 2011, thoughts of where I have been, how I got here, and where I am going are swirling around in gale force gusts…and then some.  What always mattered most, is giving way to something that mattered even more long before society influenced the road I chose.

Money and material possessions certainly still make the economic world tick, but just like the great desert sands, the grains we constantly reach for are forever shifting, piling, and sifting with the whim of the changing winds. One day the sands are gathered to such a magnificent height the sun is blocked out.  The next day, the grains are reduced to thin and fragile wisps that can’t seem to find a footing on the hard surface.  Yet, for centuries on end…chasing those grains of sand to see who can get and hold the most before the wind blows it though our fingers, seemed to be all that mattered.

We still live in a very material world, but I sense a great shift happening. It is no secret that as an economic human society, we feel our walls beginning to quake.  Maybe it is time to acknowledge and respect the power of the wind. I used to think there was no greater way to touch reality than to feel my own power closing that large deal, expanding the bottom line, winning the next big promotion, or deciding which trip to spend that bonus on. Sometimes I was on top, and sometimes I found myself climbing the sand hill again. Always chasing the grain, yet always feeling there was something….missing.

Then I hit a wall. I found myself suspended in a void that seemed like a great black nothingness. I realized that somewhere along the way while chasing those sands like everyone else; I had forgotten who I was. And then I woke up – literally – as if from a great sleep.

As a child, reality and happiness revolved around a few very simple things; a loving family, my dog, my “imaginary” tiger, my friends, listening to music, and most of all…being as close to nature and animals as I could possibly get. Bliss was wandering deep into the forest with a PB&J, sitting quietly to see how close the forest critters would come to me, chatting with birds and squirrels, or catching a glimpse of larger forest creatures as we crossed the same paths. I was always finding and trying to help or save some little critter, (my mother drew the line at baby mice). I believed that just holding them in my hands would help because that is what my heart told me. THAT was my reality….until I grew up.

Several years ago (while chasing sands) I was lucky enough to put the palm of my hand to the paw of a tiger.  I was in awe. I recalled that moment again a few years ago as, one day, I was patient enough to sit still and let many hummingbirds land on me. Then it began to snowball. As the grains of sands were getting trickier to catch and keep, I found myself seeking the comfort and clarity of my childhood world – getting close to nature and animals again. As I take my morning and evening walks, hike in the desert hills, or even just driving around, I am always looking for and delighted to encounter one of Mother Nature’s beautiful creatures; a red tailed hawk, a bunny, a coyote, a humming bird, a chatty raven, a snake, a bobcat, and so on.

Those grains of sand are still needed to make the world tick, but what truly makes me feel alive and real and true to my authentic self has evolved back to some simple things; family, friends, my dog, my great spirit animals, listening to music, and most of all revering in the beauty of nature and its critters that surround me. Helping or holding a critter of any kind is what makes my heart sing. Going forward into 2011, I vow to be true to myself, befriend the wind, and do what makes my heart feel full – The rest will follow on the breeze as it should…even the grains of sand.

 

“Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All, and Abundant love, to critters great and small.”

Hugs and a truly Happy New Year,

Andrea, Critter Doc