Peggie.com

photo credit: Tambako the Jaguar

My dogs freaked me out yesterday.

On our afternoon walk they came across a spot where an old Tbone had been for a week or so.  I knew the bone was there and was pleased to get there BEFORE they did.  I picked up the bone and tossed it out to the street.  It landed in the median.  (Okay, maybe not the best strategy but I needed to get rid of it, and had no trash can handy)

There must have been a bit of meat or bone still there.  Before I even managed to congratulate myself for pre-empting any issues they were at each others throats.  Literally.

I’ve been trained for this sort of issue.  When I owned the pet-sitting company I made a point of learning about dealing with pack dogs and random dog attacks because there are a decent number of people around here who seem to think attaching an electronic collar to their dog and letting him run free is all the training he needs.  There are others who seem to think that their dog is their little person who will obey them simply out of love and devotion.  (not so on either front, people).

All my training went out of my head and I FREAKED OUT.  I seem to recall screaming, “NO! STOP. THIS. NOW!” while trying to decide whether to cry or drop the leashes or simply run into the middle of the street myself. It was not pretty.

The dogs had the wild-dog look in their eyes and there was lots of noise and fighting.

Eventually I got my wits about me and managed to break them up.  I was shaken and they were panting and agitated.

Because I am who I am I couldn’t help but wonder what I’d “put out there” to the Universe to have this situation reflected back at me in such a disturbing way.

I wish I could say I have the answer or that the Universe answered my query.  There’s nothing concrete for me to hang onto. Still, there’s the fact that I’d been running an idea for a post through my mind about people and the “stuff” we lay on our dogs and other pets. And the fact that you can read almost everything about a person by interacting with their  pet.

It’s still a good post idea and you can look for it in a few days or so.

You might think that I came to the conclusion that the message was about pent-up anger, or fighting for scraps or some other repressed fear of mine.

What occurs to me though, is that dogs are dogs.  They are our companions, our friends and more often than not our spiritual teachers.  Still, they are canines, not human.  It was a reminder to bring that point forward when I write the post.  My dogs were doing what they are hard-wired to do – fight for a high value prize.  Even though they “love” me, and despite the fact that  they both are well fed with a highly nutritious diet with a generous smattering of high value, high protein (high cost) treats – they still would fight to the pain for a small chunk of 7 day old meat/bone lying on the side of the street.

When I asked them about it they simply reminded me that they are dogs.  They do what they do because it is their way.  There was no ‘remorse’ or sadness or guilt.

Being a dog is not at all like being a human and vice versa.  Our dogs react to us, reflect our challenges and our fears and at the end of the day they are doing what they are hard-wired to do.  Even if that means freaking out their human.

I spent several hours yesterday crafting a post.  Then my computer ate it.  Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be shared?

So, here’s the content of yesterday’s ezine that went out to my subscribers.  I think it is important for you who are just finding me to check it out!

A new year.  Brand spanking new and so much to dream and be!

I trust you survived the holiday of your choice and the dropping of the New Year’s ball — in the fashion that suited you and yours best. If it didn’t go as planned, this is as good a time as any to set some intentions for going forward – whether it’s relationships that were challenging, or the fact that you were trying so hard to live up to expectations (yours or someone else’s), take a few minutes this week to simply observe and re-set your plan for the coming days and year.

I’m not alone in spending time in December/January reflecting on the time that’s passed.  It’s especially refreshing to see what blossomed without my control – the golden surprises that rocked my world that I couldn’t have fathomed – even with hours of planning!  And while it’s sobering to see what didn’t work the way I hoped (and planned), after I dust off the disappointment there’s the real opportunity to look inward to what there was to learn.

2011 was a year of tweaking and testing for me – personally and professionally.  I wasn’t in the state of panic that seemed to be the norm in the first years of my business – rather it was a state of curiosity and trying new things.  There were weeks of challenges coming at me all at once, but the panic and fear that I thought were ‘necessary’ to stay on track, were gone.  Since I didn’t miss them one bit, I’ve decided to let “Paranoid Peggie” take a rest forever and simply focus on “Present Peggie”.  What do you think?

Below is a brief outline of what worked, what didn’t and what’s changing going into 2012.

Some things that were tweaked and re tweaked included:

• Various “remote” learning options – teleclasses and webinars. My energy is pumped AFTER the call or webinar, but the lead up (both preparation and the need to constantly market and LAUNCH) is a drain on me emotionally and energetically.  While I’m certain there is a variation of online learning/teaching that can be a fit, I’ve decided to put my energy into other projects for the foreseeable future.  If you’re currently a member of the 2x webinar family – thank you.  I couldn’t have done this without you.  You will receive a separate email with information about downloading the recordings and worksheets (if you haven’t already done so).  I will take down the forum by the middle of January
• Not everything that comes out of the blue is a negative distraction.  This year two different opportunities presented themselves – over and over again.  At first I turned them down and referred the requests to trusted colleagues because I thought for sure I should stay STEADFAST and FOCUSED on one modality/tool only.  In the last quarter of 2011 I decided to say ‘yes’ to requests that suited my soul and would move the client forward.  This part of my business is blossoming and helping more entrepreneurs, small business owners and individuals than I had imagined while I was saying no.  The thing is – I adore the work – even though the marketer in me can’t figure out how it “falls together” from a marketing perspective.  What I learned is that if it makes your heart sing AND it solves a problem for your very favorite types of clients ever – say yes.  [With that said, look for more opportunities to learn your heart's wisdom through the messages of animals, as well as opportunities to get your message out into the world - even if you 'can't write.']
• Having a creative outlet opens up the productivity machine.  I’d been a knitter off and on for 20 years.  For some reason, last winter I got the ‘itch’ to start knitting more seriously.  A year later and everyone on my Christmas gift list received something hand-knit by me.  The process of knitting for me is another form of meditation but also deeply creative.  Often after wrangling a particularly tough design into form, I have a breakthrough in my writing or a new insight for helping a client unravel a particularly difficult issue.
• No more stand-alone palmistry readings.  This may be the biggest change and the one I struggled with most.  Reading hands and studying hand analysis and palmistry are amazing intellectual pursuits.  To say that my own hand analysis changed  my life forever is a gross understatement. The changes in my life came because of a dogged pursuit of action to make changes based on the wisdom in my hands.  The hand reading was the catalyst, but not the change.  The same is true for you and all my clients.  Having your hands read doesn’t change a thing unless you have a place to go and an action plan in place.  There is nothing I hated more this year than checking in with my amazing clients a month after their reading and finding out that they were still trying to process all the informaton they’d learned in their reading.  I know they felt sheepish or overwhelmed and maybe even a little resentful that they hadn’t made any forward progress. And I felt guilty.  While I did mention that there was continued coaching available to sort through the emotional, spiritual and practical information in their hands I didn’t pursue it. (this was me dealing with my own challenges  around feeling sales-y).  As I recommit to standing in my truth – which is about practical action of spiritual truths – I can no longer justify offering stand-alone readings (like the Phoenix or Hawk) just because they’re lucrative and because the prevailing wisdom says that “you’re clients are grown-ups who will or won’t do whatever they see fit.”  Because there are a half-dozen or so people who paid for their Phoenix or Hawk sessions in 2011 and have yet to schedule I’m grandfathering them in until February 15, 2012.  I’m in the business of seeing your truth in action – so hand analysis will only be included in private or group coaching packages.  Additionally, I am aligned wtih some top spiritual, life and business coaches who may include a reading with me in their packages.  This way you can be assured of guidance and action based on the wisdom in your hands.

photo credit: h.koppdelaney

The thing about Mother Nature is that she’s not really like any mother I ever knew.  Or know.   She’s subtle to a fault and often particularly closed-mouth with her opinions.  She never once, in all those years that I was dating asked me if I was finally going to settle down. (and she’s never wondered why I won’t just get married again!)

Mother Nature is also like a mother.  She’s always there.  You can count on her to show up, day and night and BE.  She’s completely her own entity and yet I am nothing without her.

Mother Nature teaches not by nagging or yelling or asking inane questions (If you’ve ever been a mother to a teenager, you know that ALL your well-meaning questions are inane.)  Mother Nature simply is.

What I’m learning from her is this.

All the answers I’m seeking are right in front of me.  She’s embodying them at every moment at every turn.  She’s teaching me (and you) what it means to show up and do what you’re meant to do.

Everything that’s part of Earth has a role and a place and a season.  The plants don’t whine about winter, they go with it.  They die or rest or seek shelter underground (depending on their role).  The insects and fauna relocate, or sleep or gather closer to regroup and prepare for what comes next.  There is no “Nature Coach” teaching squirrels a more efficient way to gather nuts and store them in my front yard.  There is no “empowerment guide” for crows, teaching them to own their power and find their inner voice.

There is no one making the Hawk and Owl feel guilty for preying on and ripping apart field mice and other mini-critters.

I know that I work each day to be more fully present.  That the journey comes with some unique-only-to-humans challenges and that coming to terms with all that is my part to play.  I also recognize that sometimes I just make things more difficult for myself when I second-guess or try to find a faster, better, more efficient solution.  Knowing that you can work well into the wee hours of night because of electricity doesn’t mean you HAVE to (or always should.)  There’s a time and a place, and a rhythm to everything we’re here to do.

The secret to my business is listening to the rhythm within.  When it’s time to rest, I rest.  When it’s time to go full steam ahead, I do.  In many ways my personal rhythm is tied to the Earth – as winter approaches I slow down, not ramp up.  Even in the years I worked for big Mammoth corporations who pushed for a BIG close to the year – I still found ways to unwind and honor the stillness.  Back then I didn’t even know WHAT I was doing consciously; I just knew that I had to stop. For. A. minute.

I invite you to visit with the Mother we all share and listen to hear what advice she’s whispering to your soul.