Rev. Pattie Webber — Atticus Uncensored

Keeping My Balance

LIke many parts of the country we’ve been experiencing wacky and unpredictable spring weather. Our temps are generally in the mid 80’s by this time of year and we’re not even close to that. Mid-May is usually prime time for dog park days — not too hot and not muddy and messy — but this is currently not the case.

Our only dog park excursion lately left us covered in mud, requiring the dreaded “full bath”. Instead of our typical perfect spring we have experienced rain, hail, snow and a funnel cloud the past few days.

reflection & rest

Today’s windswept deluge combined with the full moon energy has left me feeling contemplative yet lethargic. I was able to move forward on a couple of projects but I also spent part of the afternoon just resting, listening to the rain and wind.

Spurred by my friend Rev. Pattie’s thoughts about Joan Borysenko’s book “Fried”, I intentionally reviewed my state of mind and body throughout the day. I think that most humans would berate themselves for allowing a rest period during a busy day. But as a conscious canine I have no shame or worry about an afternoon spent in repose.

I’m focusing on my own puppy balance and restorative time was needed today.

Are you paying attention to where you’re at throughout the day? When you aware that you are out of balance, do you notice and re-calibrate?

Celebrating the Oneness of All Creatures

I am still exhausted after yesterday’s Love Your Pet event, even though I’ve napped the majority of the past 24 hours. The pet blessing and expo was unquestionably an enormous success and mother nature provided the perfect sunny day in between storms.

Our organizing meetings were creatively chaotic, yet every detail of the event fell into place at the right moment… just as it was meant to be. Since this was the first time we had planned such an expo, we weren’t quite sure what to expect and the results were beyond our dreams.

With a number of adoption non-profits, 16 vendor booths, great music, hourly pet blessings, the grill turning out burgers & dogs, informative speakers and even alpacas who “dress themselves”, there was certainly something for everyone to enjoy. All shapes of dogs and cats roamed the event venue with their humans and I think I met just about all of them.

The pet blessings were, in my opinion, the most profound piece of the days celebration. Rev. Pattie was ethereal in white under a flower covered arbor to receive the pets and I watched as a most amazing scenario unfolded over and over. As is typical when there’s a large number of dogs in one place, most of us pups were overstimulated and energized. But when the dogs approached Rev. Pattie under the arbor, their demeanors dramatically changed. As Rev. Pattie touched the pups and gave them a special blessing, nearly every dog became calm, submissive and focused. I can’t explain the phenomenon, but I was profoundly moved by my own experience and by witnessing other dogs under the arbor.

The day was magical and a success and we are already planning next year’s pet expo. If you weren’t able to make it yesterday, I encourage you to check it out for yourself next year, and if you were in attendance, what was your experience?