My friend drops off his puppy, a beautiful black Labrador mix. I take her for a walk and while she hurries in an escapade of smells in the grass, I begin to open up to her. I told her that I feel dull and weary today and that I’m no stranger to this, a kind of rhythm that I’ve grown to know. The vulnerability is all over my body and speech and my care to belong is bare. She then pulls on the leash and yanks my arm, giving me the felt sense that the universe is a field of many forces, a bunch of pushes and pulls, with varying degrees within each, and the multiplicity of such events going on simultaneously. While the ego wants to control it all into a certain fashion, the key is to allow it all to be and play on the balance of instinct and reason, moment-by-moment. Staying in the moment is the source of balance and strength.
The puppy is present.