I will listen to the whole panel discussion on Hope. Just hearing a small bit of the moderator's opening remarks was enough to whet my appetite for more.
Mainly, I'm grateful that you posted this because I've been in an emotional pit since hearing about the SCOTUS ruling on Monday morning, so this post gives me something to focus on.
I will listen to the whole panel discussion on Hope. Just hearing a small bit of the moderator's opening remarks was enough to whet my appetite for more.
Mainly, I'm grateful that you posted this because I've been in an emotional pit since hearing about the SCOTUS ruling on Monday morning, so this post gives me something to focus on.
One anecdote before I head back to my job: On Friday, June 7th, I received a call from my husband. He told me that he'd parked the car (a 2004 Honda) at a quick-shop type of place; while he was inside, our car caught on fire. No one was hurt, but I kept fighting back the scary "what if" scenarios that were screaming for attention as I went to get him and our dog (a 115 lb. Lab).
After we were home, I texted my boss that I needed some time to wind down, then we all made a puppy pile on our big ol' king-size bed.
Here's the point: As soon as we were home, our dog was pretty much acting like nothing unusual had happened. Dogs are pretty much in the moment. (They will remember repeated pain/abuse, but a one-off trauma doesn't act as a trigger for fear-based behavior.) A few hours later, I was back at my desk and working, but I was basically ok, too. I was still a tad shaken up, but I was able to work because I forced myself to focus on everything to be grateful for in that whole event: No one was hurt, someone noticed the fire and called 911, someone noticed our dog in the back seat (the fire was in the front seat) and worked to get him out, workers at the shop grabbed fire extinguishers immediately and sprayed down the car, the fire station was only a few blocks away, etc, etc.
Honestly, I have a solid, recent experience of how effective it is to practice gratitude in order to get myself put of my scary head.
I just haven't been able to do it over the past few weeks.
So, thank you for this because I'm sure this is my first step back to some kind of serenity.
I like the re-frame you offer here. You could have focused just on the fear and the what-ifs. But instead you let your dog lead you. And you allowed fear and what if to give way to gratitude and present moment living. Thanks for sharing it!!
I will listen to the whole panel discussion on Hope. Just hearing a small bit of the moderator's opening remarks was enough to whet my appetite for more.
Mainly, I'm grateful that you posted this because I've been in an emotional pit since hearing about the SCOTUS ruling on Monday morning, so this post gives me something to focus on.
One anecdote before I head back to my job: On Friday, June 7th, I received a call from my husband. He told me that he'd parked the car (a 2004 Honda) at a quick-shop type of place; while he was inside, our car caught on fire. No one was hurt, but I kept fighting back the scary "what if" scenarios that were screaming for attention as I went to get him and our dog (a 115 lb. Lab).
After we were home, I texted my boss that I needed some time to wind down, then we all made a puppy pile on our big ol' king-size bed.
Here's the point: As soon as we were home, our dog was pretty much acting like nothing unusual had happened. Dogs are pretty much in the moment. (They will remember repeated pain/abuse, but a one-off trauma doesn't act as a trigger for fear-based behavior.) A few hours later, I was back at my desk and working, but I was basically ok, too. I was still a tad shaken up, but I was able to work because I forced myself to focus on everything to be grateful for in that whole event: No one was hurt, someone noticed the fire and called 911, someone noticed our dog in the back seat (the fire was in the front seat) and worked to get him out, workers at the shop grabbed fire extinguishers immediately and sprayed down the car, the fire station was only a few blocks away, etc, etc.
Honestly, I have a solid, recent experience of how effective it is to practice gratitude in order to get myself put of my scary head.
I just haven't been able to do it over the past few weeks.
So, thank you for this because I'm sure this is my first step back to some kind of serenity.
I like the re-frame you offer here. You could have focused just on the fear and the what-ifs. But instead you let your dog lead you. And you allowed fear and what if to give way to gratitude and present moment living. Thanks for sharing it!!
Dogs = God with fur, 4 feet, and a tail. ❤️🐾
yes.