I had a major victory in this thing called life yesterday. I conquered my long-held fear of big dogs. These pictures are of me with my friend's dog, Sulley. He is an 8-month old, 87 pound Alaskan Malamute. He's huge.
I haven't always been afraid of dogs. However, I was bitten twice as a teenager - one of the bites required stitches. Ever since then, I've been incredibly nervous around dogs, especially large breeds. During my recovery from ankle surgery, I spent hours watching the "Dog Whisperer" on television. Everything he said made sense, and I learned some techniques that I was able to practice with Sulley yesterday. They worked beautifully, and I was able to surrender to the experience of being completely in-the-moment with a large breed dog.
There is a fantastic lesson there.
When we get hurt in life, it is very easy to withdraw into ourselves. We can easily slip into a self-protective mode. It's easier to avoid those things which have traditionally been painful - no matter how much joy they could potentially bring us - just because we are scared of what might happen.
A life lived in fear is a life not lived.
When we are able to surrender to our fears and come out on the other side, there is a whole new world waiting to be enjoyed.
I know.
Just ask Sulley.
1 comment:
From a Dog lover...Good 4 U! Dogs have such human like emotions, and you never have to wonder what they are thinking. They are there for you when things are going bad, and always forgive you no matter what. Can you tell I like them?
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