A Steady Companion for All Seasons
I’ve been reflecting on the many changes I have been exposed to, witnessed, and transformed by in the last year—shedding in the Year of the Snake and entering into the Year of the Fire Horse. This is just one small chapter of my life that my dog, Desi, has been part of, and through all of the chapters, she has remained a character in the story of my human life.
I recently moved back to Colorado from Washington, and in the midst of all of that, so many minute changes, as well as long-standing, building, can’t-unsee realities, have revealed themselves over this last week. While I am making Colorado home again, I have traveled back to my roots in Texas for the next few weeks to focus on some introspective questions and reflections of my own that have affected my current situation in Colorado and beyond.
Through all of this, Desi has remained my steady companion during this particularly unstable and unknown season of the future, and yet she is unwavering in the eye of it all. She turned 14 years old last week—an age that I honestly never thought I would see happen. I feel a twinge of guilt for even thinking that in the first place, but in my own human brain, when I think about the amount of emotional, mental, and energetic baggage we unintentionally place on our dogs, I am amazed at their resilience and perseverance to keep going. To face all the changes and unknowns in their own path with such presence and trust. They are true masters of surrendering to it all. They are true reflectors of what it means to go with the flow, adapt to change, and trust the unseen that has yet to reveal itself.
However, I also believe we can create that same reality with other humans by letting go of the expectations we place on the other person. If we allow ourselves to accept and love another person unconditionally, we begin to release the need for things to unfold a certain way. In doing so, we open ourselves up to the surprise of what might happen next. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the person will change, but it does change the outcome of the situation because you are no longer framing it to look a certain way or forcing a specific outcome. You begin to trust the unknown and allow the universe to choose what the highest potential outcome is for you to learn at this particular time.
At this point in my life, I look at Desi and am met with humble gratitude because she has reflected back to me the resilience I always had within myself. She mirrored what I needed the most: the most unconditional and nonjudgmental way of being through all the seasons of change. This has allowed me to continue expanding and growing into more evolved versions of my higher self as time goes on.
It has also allowed me to practice the awareness of being unconditional and nonjudgmental toward others because we are all facing different seasons for different reasons at particular times. All we truly need is space to be held, seen, and acknowledged so that we feel safe enough to simply be. Especially in the presence of our own loving animals.
Be kind to yourself always, because this human journey isn’t easy, but your animal companion somehow makes the journey worth experiencing alongside them.
