It has been five years since I last saw my mother, she left us on a cold, freezing icy day in February 2014, after her battle with cancer. In truth you never get over the loss of your mother and there is a part of your soul that dies that day with her. But life goes on… or does it? My mother was my best friend and second to her was my constant companion of over 15 years, Brandon. Brandon was my soul dog and just after losing my mom Brandon started showing signs of aging and slowing down. He declined rapidly in the summer of 2017. I remember those warm days that year and the big famous eclipse that we watched together, he even put his protective glasses on, it was always fun, games and much laughter together! Brandon and I were always together and outside doing what we loved for fifteen years. Hiking, walking, finding and picking four-leaf clovers. I was always taking photos of our adventures together and I am so thankful that I have those memories. Let me tell you how one little dog helped to heal my broken heart.
Many say really? It is just a dog! Well I will beg to differ with you right there! Dogs are family, they bring much joy and happiness to a household and on October 11, 2017 on a very unseasonable night at 1 AM I lost that happiness and I have not found it since. A little piece of me died that day too!
Being a rescue volunteer, I am blessed to be around so many animals beautiful dogs, cats and wildlife too! But I lost a fire that I had in me to have another dog, I love them and I will always help and volunteer but the spark just went out and has yet to return. I have a beautiful gift and business doing Reiki on animals and people too, the one for animals is reikidog.net and for people fithealthyandfabulous.com/reiki. I help so many souls and it is a blessing to be able to do so. The fire is there when I work, I feel it energetically but then when I am alone it seems to be dull again. Being a Reiki Practitioner also makes me feel energy much more than the average person at times.
So why is this a blog on my health and wellness website? The reason is simple, recently, I watched my girlfriend Stacey’s dog Bindi. She was going away for a week and wanted someone she could trust and feel comfortable with leaving Bindi, of course I said yes. I know Bindi and she is a little doll. But to me it was helping a friend by assuring her Bindi was safe and allowing her to get away, to be stress free and enjoy her vacation. My friend Stacey deserved it she is a full time RN, huge animal advocate and dog foster volunteer, she is always giving back. What I did not foresee was that Bindi would help heal a part of me and make me aware of how sad I have really been on the inside since my losses. As our week together started I realized how much I loved having Bindi around and how I was talking to her and laughing just like I always did with my Brandon! Hmmm…the back and neck pain that I was having from an old injury pretty much disappeared! I exercise, do yoga, practice Reiki daily and eat right but the pain was still coming and going as of late. Wait a minute my skin looked better too! Could that be?
Yes, it can and it was happening, my skin was looking healthy and vibrant! Not that it was terrible but there was a different glow and happiness that was not there a week before. I actually felt fantastic, I was sleeping better too with Bindi next to me, what the heck was going on! The proof is in the experience and pictures that I took that week. Naturally I was taking pictures all of the time that is what I do with every animal and it was Brandon and my thing too. But when I downloaded the pictures I noticed I looked less tired, I was noticing that I looked a bit tired the last few years and thought maybe I should get some work done after all I am older now, (sigh) but I looked better in these recent photos. Pictures show a person’s energy, I can see energy in most photos and around animals and people in person too. But I never experienced such a difference with my own energy in a photo until now which is why I felt I needed to share my experience and thoughts.
My health and fitness advise…exercise, eat healthy foods, decrease alcohol intake, drink lots of water, meditate, get Reiki treatments and ADOPT a Dog!
My thoughts are that animals really are the best medicine. If you love dogs, cats, mice, wildlife or farm animals whatever it may be, it is a healthy approach to spend time with them to increase your health and wellness. Get out there and volunteer there are so many places that need you and your time. Adopt or foster a shelter animal they need homes and a safe place to rest their little heads. The added bonus of a dog… daily walks, you burn more calories and get a little extra exercise for you too!
Learn to live a healthy life with Reiki therapy, Holistic Health Coaching and Adopt a dog for companionship and healing! Thank you little Bindi xo
