I ‘KNOW’ YOU CAN … BUT…..

March 10 2015

I ‘KNOW’ YOU CAN … BUT…..

I believe the maxim:  patience is a virtue, but more so that it is part of our faith – that within the aspect of patience is the depth to which faith is held.

Today at the beach,  Chica, Cooper's counterpart, took off after the geese and ducks that were swimming in the bay.  Completely oblivious to the distance, she swam out with blind faith towards her targets with a belief that she would catch up with them.

Exactly what her plans were once they met snout to beak, I have no way of knowing. What I do know is that, based on her degree of determination, her inspiration/intention was obviously pretty important.

She never looked back once to ponder if she was maybe traveling too far, she was laser-focused on her target.

I wish I knew how to determine the distance between where I was standing, plus the distance of the low-tide sandbars, plus the distance of water in which Chica was swimming towards the open sound, directly in line with the 3:00 p.m. sailing of the B.C.Ferries.

It is significant to note that I could not see her head at one point and was only finally aware of where she was, due to the Canada goose that swam a little bit too close to her snout.   It took a quick, air born 'hop' across to safer water,  just slightly in front of the blip that I then realized was my 80-pound dog almost completely under water.

Cooper ran and jumped into the sea a couple of times with tremendous enthusiasm, and with joyful glee he bounded back and forth along the length of the shore, nose to the shells and algae, sniffing in delight all the scents of the sea.  Splashing his paws, totally engaged in the sensation of freedom and movement in the great outdoors, he had to look a couple of times to realize that Chica had taken off without him.

At one point before she went out too far, he caught up with her, he swam alongside, but then quickly became bored;  waterfowl don't ignite a light in him nearly as much as frolicking in the great open expanse of water.  Mind you, water is water, and I’m sure he would have as much enjoyment and excitement if the expanse was only that of a puddle.

Although this wasn’t the first time that I've been on the shore with Chica almost completely out of sight, it was the first time that I noticed my thoughts so significantly focused on my awareness: my only choice was to watch her swim and know that she would come back.

Patience brings about a settled feeling within when we become aware that there are certain things that are beyond our control.  This was one of those times.

When I took her off-leash, she raced immediately towards the water and, between the ducks and the time it took to repeat the action with taking off Coopers leash, she was beyond her ability to hear any commands that I may have issued.

I chose to stand and observe.  I chose to enjoy the ambiance and beauty of the beach, being mindfully aware of the contrast of colors in the sky, the water, the shoreline.

I chose to be mindfully aware of the people scattered on the beach, of which there were only a few, which I'm always particularly grateful for.  They were enjoying the low tide and various activities: standing on the rocks breathing in the fresh ocean air, walking, scavenging for metal, or walking their own dogs. 

Then I wondered ….. how far could she possibly go? ….. could she swim to the point of exhaustion before looking back?

I admired her strength and ability for swimming. and what appears to be her innate propensity for the activity. 

I thought, if this was the day that she didn’t turn around and swim back, meeting her demise due to exhaustion, that, too, would be beyond my control. 

All I can do is have faith, I thought,  that she will turn around when she's ready to,  and/or her angels decide that it's time to bring her back to shore.

Through all these thoughts I stood perfectly still, watching, observing and being mindful of my peaceful heart and the stillness within my body, which showed no signs of an increase of anxiety or worry. 

I felt the warmth in my heart and heard my thoughts …” all is well”… true faith is about 'knowing' that all things are as they should be.

Cooper continued to play and enjoy his own experience on the beach, occasionally glancing up and outwards to cast a peek at where she might be.  He also instinctively knew that she would be fine and would return to him in due course… which, of course she did.....as he knew she would....

His faith in all things being in their rightful order was a sign to me that my same faith is a sound and positive assumption.

The lessons continue ..........