Dear Friends,
On July 4th around 9 pm, I looked out my front window to see 2 sheriff cars sitting in front of my neighbor’s home and a few other cars. I knew immediately that my neighbor had passed away. For 2 years I had been concerned for his health, trying to gently nudge him in the direction of a health care provider. I immediately went across the street and was greeted by his son who told me that my neighbor had indeed passed from this earth. He was 73 years old.
I was very saddened by his death. He was an endearing man who was quite the character. For over 2 years I would see this man outside with his 2 large dogs, Huckleberry (I just love that name) and Dodger, who would make me smile every time I saw them. My office faces the front of my yard. Several times a day, I would observe my neighbor come out the door with his dogs and then almost always turn back in the house as if he forgot something. Huckleberry would wait patiently, with a big smile on his face, but Dodger would start walking, dragging the leash with him, meandering down the road. A few minutes later, my neighbor would come out of the house and anxiously go looking for him. I had my eye on Dodger and several times started to go out to bring him home, when I realized he never got very far, and my neighbor always found him. This was part of their ritual. Luckily, there are very few cars on the road here and drivers go slow.
Many mornings, other neighbors would come take the dogs for a walk. Like clockwork around 9:45 am I would hear Huckleberry bark and Willy, my dog, and I would go to the window to see them. It brought me so much joy to see Huckleberry prancing with my neighbors, barking excitedly, walking backwards as they gave him treats. Willy would bark at them and wag his tail emphatically. This same scenario would repeat itself with the pup’s owner, my neighbor, in the afternoon and evening. Over the last 2 years, hearing Huckleberry bark, and seeing Dodger meandering down the street every day, brought me so much joy. I loved seeing my neighbor and his interactions with his furry family members. Although I didn’t have a close relationship with my neighbor, he touched my heart, and I cared about him.
The reason I’m sharing this with you is to remind all of us, how precious these moments are in life. These moments that touch our soul on a deep level, even though what is happening might not seem like such a big deal. Not only did I lose an endearing neighbor, but I also lost the connection with the 2 dogs and watching them every day and sharing in their joy. The dogs went to family members, and I may see them from time to time but the ritual of seeing them every day and hearing Huckleberry bark is over.
I am a person who feels things very deeply. I am also a person who loves the simple things in life. I find great joy in observing the birds in the feeders, the hummingbirds sucking on the sweet flower nectar, birds bathing in the bird bath and the squirrels chasing each other around the yard, the flowers waving in the breeze or their beautiful faces glancing up towards the sunlight. These things are constant in my life, and I am grateful for the happiness they bring me. I also have my rituals with my own furry family every day that create deep soul moments for me.
All of us have many opportunities in life that are true soul moments if we open our awareness and appreciate what is right in front of us. Many people think that their lives are boring, and they want the big vacations and big dramas to feel alive when their lives could feel so full simply by opening their eyes and ears to what is happening around them. Are they missing the little joys that are staring them in the face, maybe literally.
To me, these simple joys are magic. They have the power to transcend the physical and take us on a journey deeper into ourselves, life and the universe. My dad used to stand outside at night gazing at the stars and pondering the mysteries of the cosmos. I loved watching him and soon this became one of my rituals as well. Star gazing is a wonderful opportunity to stand outside of our own being and wonder at the vastness of creation. Appreciating simple joys also helps us to heal as this expands our own flow of energy as we appreciate what we are observing or experiencing. Stuck energy that manifests in the form of physical illness can start moving and dissolve the heaviness of whatever is holding an illness in place without us ever having to figure out why we might be sick in the first place.
Maybe you work in an office, that you feel steals the life out of your own soul. I encourage you to look again with your soul eyes. See the co-worker who brings cookies to the office as a source of joy and not just for the cookies. See the co-worker who is always joking as a source of inspiration and appreciate the character he or she is. You can appreciate your own neighbor working in their garden even though they may never talk to you. Or maybe you will observe someone swimming every day in a body of water that is near you, rain or shine. I used to love to see the swimmers in Puget Sound who swam every day of the year, even when it was 45 degrees or colder out. When it’s sunny, watching the way the sun glistens off their arms as they move forward with their strokes is calming and meditative and very soulful.
I miss my neighbor and his sweet dogs every day. And I appreciate the joy they brought to my life. I did share with him how much I enjoyed seeing him with his sweet furry canines and was glad that I didn’t hold back on this connection. I’m not sure how much he took it in, but I shared it anyway.
Wishing all of you, many soulful moments as you go about your day. Wishing you the magic in your soul that these moments bring to you. Allow them to open you up to the joy and healing and the transcendence they offer. And even if things change, the memories of those moments can stay with us forever, bringing a smile to our heart and our being.
Namaste,
Rosemary