Sticking To Joy
In keeping with the wise dog theme I started yesterday, I’m calling on the wisdom of my own dog, Muggins, today. Muggins went from physical to nonphysical form on October 19, 2009. She’d been with me in physical form for 17 years and 17 days.
Muggins was a 40 pound Springer spaniel who loved life. One of her favorite parts of life was carrying big sticks.
On our beach walks, Muggins routinely carried huge sticks. She was a master at finding the fulcrum point of the stick—even if it was way off center—and then lifting her head to carry sticks that weighed more than she did. I was used to seeing her do this, but two of the sticks she carried were SO big (one over 8 feet long) that I had to haul them home and keep them for posterity.
After Muggins moved into nonphysical, Tim sanded the sticks and put a coat of polyurethane on them. They’re in our bedroom, a memorial to our beloved Muggins.
Last week, a friend who knew Muggins but hadn’t been in our house before, came over. I’d told her about Muggins’ stick carrying in the past, so I showed her the sticks. She put her hand on one and said, “No! She couldn’t have carried these! They’re so big!” My friend lifted one of the sticks. “No!” she repeated. “That’s too heavy for a dog Muggins’ size.”
I assured her that Muggins did indeed carry those sticks, and Tim pointed out that when Muggins carried them, they were saturated with water so they were even heavier then and even bigger because he’d sanded them down since then.
Our friend was amazed. “I believe you,” she said, “but it seems impossible.”
And so it does. How did a small dog carry such big sticks?
She did it with joy.
Muggins LOVED carrying those sticks. Her eyes lit up when she found one and set about figuring out how to carry it. She carried her sticks with her head high, a prance to her walk.
When people driving by on the beach slowed and pointed at her (it really was an amazing sight), she raised her head even higher and fluttered her tail. She was something, and she knew it.
She knew something else too. She knew how to do the seemingly impossible. You do it by feeling such joy for your task that you don’t do the work … the universe does it for you.
Muggins was a great teacher in my life; but I’m a slower learner sometimes. I’m just getting her lesson. You don’t have to exert when you act from a good-feeling place. When you act from a good-feeling place, the universe does the work for you.
I used to take all action according to a strict AGENDA that I created from a GOAL-DRIVEN place of great DISCIPLINE. What did it get me? Not a whole lot worth talking about.
My work these days comes from a totally different place. I act from a place of delight. And if the delight isn’t there, I don’t act. Where is this taking me?
I don’t know yet. I’ll keep you posted.
But in the meantime, I’m sure having a good time.
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April 11th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
I love this post! It pulled on my heartstrings. You and Muggins are amazing!
April 11th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Aw, thanks! Muggins amazed me nearly every day of her life.
April 11th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Ande,
What a great great post.
There is something to be said about doing things from Joy instead of duty. I have a sign in my office that reads, “More Joy, More Joy”.
Kinda the antithesis of no pain no gain. I have a healer teacher named Joseph, who I have mentioned before in your blog and his big thing is never do anything except from a place of pleasure. I struggled with that for about two years. Basically he means to never do anything unless you’re inspired to do it.
You just have an incredible way of telling the story. Thanks
April 11th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Thanks, Greg. I remember you mentioning that great healer/teacher. Doing from a place of joy instead of willpower is something I have to remind myself of often. Luckily, I have Muggins’ sticks around and Ducky’s energy to remind me.
April 11th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
That is such a sweet and amazing story about Muggins and those giant sticks! Yes, I’d have guessed it would be impossible for a springer spaniel to carry anything that large. How precious that you have kept some of them as reminders.
It’s wonderful to see more and more people organizing their lives around joy instead of duty. We met another such person today at the Law of Attraction meeting at our area library. She said she used to sell real estate in South Florida but now just does what makes her joyful. (We’ll hope to hear more about the details of that in the future.)
Thanks for another reminder of what this is all about. And thanks to Muggins and her logs!
April 11th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Thanks, Karen. Yes, I’m SO glad I kept those sticks. When we move (and we WILL move
), I’ll be the only woman instructing the movers to treat those sticks as if they’re made of gold. 