Well, August flew by, and I can’t say that I am missing it. The mosquitoes were out in droves, and I did not want to put the birds outside too often because of them. I am looking forward to cooler temperatures and new beginnings in September.
For starters, my daughter is entering kindergarten. It is with mixed emotions that I send her off on her next journey through her school years. Luckily, I still have my son to share the mornings with, and I will even get to have some special time alone with him.
I am also excited that I will (hopefully) have some more quiet moments with the birds, once again. It seems that even though they are getting out lots more lately, I still don’t have time to give them enough one-on-one attention. I suppose that will come back to us gradually. They are ever-so-patient with me and the children. I am filled with such gratitude to have them in my life.
Especially my beautiful Maggie. She is my partner through this time of healing and growth. I recently learned that she has arthritis, in addition to already being aware of her being over-weight. It explains why I cannot seem to get her to be active and flapping around like a Harlequin Macaw ought to be. The arthritis is most severe in her left wing and her feet. Which is soooo interesting because lately, my arthritis is much worse in my left wrist and my feet. Which gets me to thinking about mirroring.
Our animal friends and family members often mirror our own challenges and traits. They do this mainly to bring issues that need attending to our attention. When we have an illness or are going through emotional upsets, they often take these things on themselves. Sometimes it is an attempt to relieve us of our pain and discomfort, and other times, it is to make us aware of what is going on. When we become aware that they have an issue (behavioral or medical), we begin to “solve the problem”. We take them to the vet, trainers, behaviorists, etc. Often we end up meeting the right people at the right time, who are able to bring about some relief and healing to our animal and ourselves. When our animals have the same illnesses we do, we might realize that we could use the very same help too!
I truly believe that every illness has emotional roots, and so I tend to view medical problems similarly to behavioral problems in our animal friends. They are almost always exhibiting these challenging scenarios to bring deeper issues to light. Arthritis is a disease that has components of blame/resentment, criticism, feeling unloved, and not moving and flowing smoothly with changes in our lives. These are all things I will be reflecting on throughout the month as I work together with Maggie to bring our bodies and our relationship to better health. Some small things I will do, are to make sure I let her know how much I love and appreciate her every single day (even when life is busy, it only takes a moment), and I am also considering taking more walks with my son and bringing her along. It wouldn’t take any extra time, and they would both really love it. Small changes, but they are a beginning.
Most importantly, I need to remember that I may have started this whole cascade of events, so the sooner I can get myself into better psychological health, the sooner Maggie can begin her healing as well. This may involve digging deep into childhood traumas and issues from the past.
Finally, I will remember that for both Maggie and I that arthritis is a gift. Not only is it a gift- but for me it has been one of the biggest gifts of my life. It is a reminder that we are extremely sensitive individuals. We are extremely tapped in to the emotions of others. We are both able to deeply feel and align with the emotional state of other beings and the world. We are also able to attune ourselves quite easily to the higher vibrations and can use how we are feeling as a guide to better ascertain how we are doing on our spiritual paths. Our bodies are like tuning forks. We walk in a sea of vibrations all around us. And since we can easily feel whether we are in vibration with our higher selves, we can readily sense whether we are off track or on.
I wonder what gifts today will bring...
