Great name for a book or at least a good short story about a horse learning some kind of a life lesson but no…this is about our Black Lab whose name is “Reality”. And it is also a lesson that Reality learned about a horse which helped me and may just help you too.

Re-re as we affectionately call our girl, is a 7 and a half year old Black Lab with the usual Lab easy-going temperment and mostly only wanting to please us so that we are happy and ideally, happy enough to pet her often.

Because of Reality’s mindfulness we’ve been able to walk her off leash (whereas Paul, our young Aussie is bridled in with a harness) as we walk through our neighborhood. Lately though, Reality has taken to the sport of antagonizing a neighbor’s fenced in small savagely yippy dogs as they move in a rough and tumble congregation of snarling teeth, fur, tails and claws along the fence where we walk. Re-Re finds it great fun to run up to their fence to set them off and then run back across the road to join us peeing and marking her territory all along the way.

One particular day, I noticed a horse back rider ambling down the street. I don’t think Reality (or Paul for that matter) have ever come up across a horse and so I sent out the “come” command for Reality to join us. With a gleam in her eye and a giggle at her muzzle she instead took off in the opposite direction to set off the fur patrol only this time when she darted back across the street to join us about five seconds later the horse was upon her.

When she looked up and saw the horse, many many ideas and opinions must of crossed her mind with the predominant one being HOLY S$%@! She tucked her rear under her belly and laid her ears limp along her head with the biggest whitest eyes I have ever seen running straight for us.

I know there is a lesson in here somewhere for me about listening to the higher voice within me even when I “think” I know what is best to do…it helps me to picture 90 pound Reality tucking and running towards me to stop and really listen.

I’ve been writing letters to the voice within me (who I call “God”) since the beginning of May. Last night I sat out on our front porch to write my letter to God for the day and simultaneously attract my cat, K.C., out of her dark hiding place to come in for the night (she had been hunting a rather large mouse at dusk). The breeze was sultry and cool (amazing how non-stop days of triple digit heat can make evenings in the 80’s seem cool)….. K.C. never showed up (I suspect she munched on her mouse all night because she was very proud of herself when she greeted me this a.m.) but I did get in some rather important questions to God.

Such as, why is this writing down my soul stuff important? And, what questions do I need to be asking you God.

As usual, I had a montague of dreams that were shooting through my consciousness too fast for me to slow down until one scene. In this one scene I felt very afraid and I was screaming and then looked into a big mirror with a gold frame–still screaming–only to see someone else’s face so I shook my head a few times and then saw my own face. What was powerful about this was that the minute I saw my own face, I relaxed and calmed down and felt that internal peace. I also felt the loving presence of God behind me whispering into my ear that I was loved and that all was well.

Seems pretty significant to me. I’ve never “seen” my reflection within a mirror in a dream before. Maybe I can look for my hand next time?!

May you find that inner calm peace and self-love today and know that all is well in the present moment.

As a U.S. Citizen, I am on the fence as to if “we” should be at war in Iran and Afghanistan or if “we” should not. Especially after such a long-long time and especially since “we” really don’t know which information is legit and which is not.

I do know that I feel a deep response to helping the men and women who are returning from the war zone to help them acclimate back into society and to find jobs. Perhaps it is because I am an Air Force brat, perhaps it is because I overcame my own decades long battle with PTSD, it could even be that because I never had children many of the people serving in the war are the age that my children could have been. Whatever the reason, I want to help.

After much convincing from my husband, I finally watched “The Hurt Locker” movie. The movie was written by Mark Boal who is a freelance writer who was embedded with a bomb squad. It is about a U.S. Army EOD team.

The movie seemed very realistic to me without beating us over the head with the horror and gore–it simply laid everything out as it could happen in real time. What impacted me the most was the way the main character was portrayed as a very competent cowboy soldier (renegade?) as he detonated bomb after bomb in very risky situations and then observing him upon his return to the U.S. walking down the aisles of an empty supermarket with overwhelming choices and piped in Muzak.

What I would like to say is that even though I have never been to war that I feel out of place walking down the aisles of a supermarket with overwhelming choices and piped in music. I feel like I’m inside of a science fiction novel and it isn’t even 2024.

Go see this movie. I did wear earplugs because I knew the loud sounds would rattle me, do what you need to take care of yourself but go see it and then find a way to be of service. Wake up and open up, this is your life too.