Lessons From Reese

Blue Ridge Mountains, Western North Carolina/Photography by Gaye Abbott

Usually there is a late afternoon walk when I am caring for Reese and her kitty sister Lizzie. However today I decided that we would eat dinner first and then take a gloaming walk on the land tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains.

This time of day is magical when low light is present in the evening as the sun sets. Soon we will start seeing fireflies twinkling in the gloaming. But not quite yet. Instead ones attention is taken to the intense lush green from millions of trees all in Spring leaf.

As soon as we started out on our walk I knew that this would be different from our more vigorous walk in the morning. There was a different energy in our natural surroundings and within Reese herself.

A slower pace, more intense exploring of one single smell, rustle in the bushes, or piece of earth. A going off the paved driveway down to a creek and into areas that were not visited in the morning. Even a purposeful but gentle disregard of how I was trying to guide her back home.

It was almost like she was testing me to see if I would surrender into the moment. Breathe in the fresh tree air, listen to the birds settling in for the night, simply stand in front of a tree and commune. Allowing the peaceful surroundings to paint me with the color NOW. – this very moment. Trust.

Reese, Teacher & Friend/Photography by Gaye Abbott

But it took me a while to let go of my agenda. To get up and down the steep pathway making certain she followed me back up to home base and didn’t wander off too far in bear, wild turkey and other critters country.

It was like there was an internal battle of agenda versus simply being present. Trusting that this gentle soul of a doggie would follow me when she was ready to do so.

Many stops along the way where the agenda would rear its ugly head and I would call out to her to “come Reese”……disregarding the immersion in scents, sounds, movement and simply being still for moments in time that she was teaching me about.

The shift happened in one long exhalation where we locked eyes and I surrendered. Everything expanded and at the same time became still.

Time ceased to exist. We were engaged in the most sacred moments of simply being. Senses were enhanced and the agenda fell away all at once.

I realized the lessons from Reese on this evening walk were all about inhabiting the moments fully with every fiber of my being. Trusting in the unfolding moment to moment with all senses open and aligning with vibrant aliveness.

Thank you sweet doggie Reese. You are a wise teacher….

Writing Space for “Lessons From Reese”/Photography by Gaye Abbott

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Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 05/26/23