Fourth Form of Madness

For a while now our back fence has been broken due to an over zealous puppy dog hurling himself at cats that gave chase in his yard. When it first happened I went out to say goodbye to my dog before leaving for work (he’s like my child what can I say). I called and called but he wasn’t to be found. Then just as I was about to launch a full scale search and rescue, I heard a faint voice come from over the fence…. “He’s over here, he came for a visit and now my son wants to keep him.” I was bewildered, how on earth had he managed to get over the fence, did puppy have some levitating powers I did not know about? Then I saw it, a big smashed panel in the far right hand corner of our yard. When puppy wants something he gets it, for a small dog he sure has some latent energy he can unleash should the situation calls for it.

Now I’m guessing but I would say that was over two years ago! There were many moments that hubby and I discussed getting it fixed, it went on the official must fix list, but nothing ever eventuated. Then this morning, as I was getting ready for yoga, I looked out across to that section of the fence. At first I thought I was seeing an illusion, you know the sort where you focus on something so much, you actually think it has come about (maybe that is just me :-)). No the fence had definitely been fixed but hubby didn’t say anything. Upon inquiring about the fence hubby replied “Yeah I fixed it over a week ago, I was waiting for you to notice.” After making a note that I must practice mindful awareness more, hubby interrupted to say “I better tell you this one or there is a change you will never notice, but I have taken the vent out of the back toilet window as well”. He was right, that one might have gone an eternity before I noticed, even though I have lived in this house for over 7 years.

Then I wondered how many things in life go past us like this? Where we look but we are not really seeing. Many of us have had the experience where we arrive at a destination only to realise that we can’t remember really being engaged with driving there. Scary stuff. If life exists in your experiences, then the trick is to really experience them. This does not mean to slow down to snails pace so you can give yourself time to absorb every detail. It means slowing down your mind so that you are only where your physical body is. Yep you got it, the physical body can only be in the moment, positioned in space and time, the mind well that’s a bit of a nomadic wanderer that will follow any road that it sees. Maybe a way of reducing it’s Jack Kerouac nature is to really embody it. Perhaps real embodiment comes from noticing and experiencing all that is around you in all your physicality, just as it is, no add ons from the mind. Or perhaps not. Either way I have to go, I meant to be studying and so far, I have had a sleep, walked the dog, cooked some soup!