November 3. 2017

Reflections

Yes, it’s been awhile. Too long of a while, but here I am, with my paws back on the keyboard, pounding out another round of Rubinations.

I could spend this time telling you about all that has transpired since the last time I wrote, but everyone keeps telling me that dogs live in the now, which means, I suppose, that I shouldn’t dwell on the past. So I won’t, except to say that I lost two of my best friends since I last visited this page and those losses gutted me.

If you want to see how important these two fellas were to me, I invite you to watch their musical slideshows (if you haven’t already).

First loss was of my dearest friend, Monty…click here

And the second loss was of my first and dearest brother, Dezi…click here

Each loss was devastating for all of us. Monty, because he was my first true friend who taught me so much about life that I will forever be indebted to him. And Dezi, because he was my first true brother who was as patient with me as he was kind.

Perhaps their losses are what staggered me, are what kept me from writing, but I think it was more a combination of my life spinning in several different directions in addition to their crossing the Rainbow Bridge.

We’ve been busy in ways that are too numerous to count. There’s Oscar, my newest brother, who has now been with us for over a year. I have had to switch from being the youngest in the crowd to now being the oldest and let me tell you, being an older brother is a whole lot more work than being the younger one.

Gretchen’s work has meant more time away, though we have had many wonderful adventures and gone on a million different outings so I can’t complain. Still, there are times when I miss my dog walking days — days where I’d spend hours with new doggie friends, showing them all the trails and neighborhoods to explore. But I’ve even had a chance to do that as we’ve helped out Eileen of Paws With Wonder on occasion.

 

 

And there have been family visits as well — trips to Oregon to visit Uncle Paul and Aunt Patti, trips to Grandma’s house, and even a trip to the Oregon Coast with just our own little family.

And it was there, at the ocean, where I started thinking a lot about my life and beyond life, as I like to call it. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older — I’ll be 11 years old in February– or maybe it’s because I have said goodbye to some very important members of my family recently — dogs and human. Whatever the reason, I have been in deep contemplation of late and I think all of that has kept me from writing.

But alas, here I am again — paws clicking away at the keyboard and my thoughts racing ahead of me.

While on vacation at the coast, I enjoyed the beauty, but I also enjoyed the time to just be. No real responsibilities except to eat, sleep, walk, rest, explore. 

There are waves — each one coming then going — pounding the shore or, on quieter days, rolling gently up the stretches of sand like fog. And there is sky — endless and in a state of constant transformation, white clouds then blue pockets then the grayness of fog or the green-grey of rain. And there is air — fresh and clean and salty — so much air that my lungs can’t resist expanding and opening way beyond their day-to-day capacity.

But there is something else as well. Scientists say that bodies of water, like the ocean, have more negative ions, which apparently is good for you. In fact, negative ions have healing properties, none of which I can begin to explain, but I can certainly feel them.

But I think there’s something bigger than science or maybe it’s just science I don’t understand. When I stand at the edge of the ocean, with my sensitive nose in the wind, I feel something ancient. Something so profound and large that it almost feels mystical.

Needless to say, it made me realize that my role in this family has changed. No longer a dog dog walker, I am, in essence, retired and I’m learning every day how to embrace that retired-ness. Gretchen’s still working, Momma Ann too and I do my best to assist them every day. While on vacation, Gretchen and I discussed shifting this blog to something more useful and less contemplative, so in the coming weeks, watch for more blog posts, but posts more attuned with the work Gretchen does now — massage, acupressure, cranial/sacral, and swim therapies — and less about me. Yes, I’ll make a guest appearance now and then, but for now, our work is less about adventures and more about healing.

Looking forward to the changes…I hope you are too!

Onward,

Rubin

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