The dance of life

It was one of those blah weeks for me, the kind where everything was topsy-turvy and I was looking for change.

When I was younger, this change would come in the form of doing something different — like going out of my house and looking for something new to do. Now that I am older, change comes from looking inward.

I know, I know, it’s the tried and tested — stop and take the doggies for a longer walk.

And so I did.

Not only did Cola and I walk, we made our way to a bookstore, the one where little doggies are allowed to enter.

“Let’s look for something good to read,” I whispered to Cola. (Yup, when I am by my lonesome, like most pet owners, I talk to my pets.)

Guardians Of Being by Eckhart Tolle with art by Patrick McDonnell, creator of Mutts, caught my attention.

I love picture books — and that is exactly what Guardians is.

“Guardians Of Being celebrates and reminds us of not only the oneness of all life but also the wonder and joy to be found in the present moment, amid the beauty we sometimes forget to notice around us,” says the flap that describes the book.

I know lots of folks who might find such a book silly — and yet, there are days when books like these work for me.

“The vital function that pets fulfill in this world hasn’t been fully recognized. They keep millions of people sane.”

Sane.

On the day Cola and I made it to the bookstore sane was not the way I would describe myself. I guess the god of dogs led me to Guardians. Perhaps, life is really all about taking stock of what we have — and then looking at what more we can do.

“The dog has not self image, good or bad, so he has no need to play roles, nor does he love himself or hate himself.

“He has no self.

“How to live free of the burden of self — what a great spiritual teaching.”

I got the book.

Now, how to make sense of life.