A Lesson from Luna

Three weeks ago a new love entered my life.  Her name is Luna and she is a 13 week old blue heeler/rottweiler mix.  After two months of grieving our previous loss, Spier (see this post), we decided it was time to try adding a new member to our family.  The plan was to get a dog around the age of 3, knowing full well how much work puppies can be.  When we arrived at the event for the alternative humane society, there she was, curled up in the corner napping, and it was love at first sight!

Fast forward nearly a month now.  Waking up almost daily at the break of dawn to her pouncing on our faces, ready to take on the world, countless accidents to clean (so far 3 days with none!), chewing through cords, boxes, plants, shoes, yarn, socks and pretty much anything that her mouth fits over.  Not to mention insisting on playing every time I go down for a yoga stretch, take a nap or try to simply relax...there she is.    

This morning, quite early I might add, I sat on the back patio, fuzzy eyed, waiting for her to do her business.   My mind started to wonder, as our thoughts tend to do, mostly past or future and rarely present.  Funny enough, it was about what I should have for breakfast, how much, what time and if so, then what would be best later in the day.  As I'm deep in thoughts of the near future, a loud bird call snaps me back to reality.  I look to see where Luna is, expecting to see her digging another hole in the grass, chewing on plants or hiding around the corner.  Instead, she is sitting in the grass right in front of me, eyes up to the sky, watching the seagulls glide in large circles above us.  As she continues to sit there and watch with intense curiosity, I'm quickly reminded how much we miss out on when not allowing ourselves to enjoy the present moment.  So, together we sat, watching the birds, and I remembered what it was like to be a child, awestruck by such simplicity, and made a promise to myself to take more "present moments" and breathe in life.  

Moments later, of course, she was pouncing on my lap, ready to play.  This goes on for an hour, to which I've fully awoken only for her to go and pass out.  Thanks a lot, now only if it were that easy for us.  I have to admit though, her cute little puppy face and kisses are worth every waking moment!

Funny how a disorder that takes away so much when it comes to food, leaves us having to put so much thought into it.  In my past life, before GP, I was quite the foodie and have to fight it these days not to be.  Ideas for meals and snacks, whether for me or to make for someone else, still find their way into my head.  To help clear some of the thought and planning process, I have my What I CAN Eat handout on the fridge, a quick reference, when it's the last thing I want to think about.  If you haven't yet done so, I encourage you to fill it out and keep in a place where you and others in the house can easily see what the options are.  

Now that Luna is helping me to watch the birds and breathe in that fresh morning air, I'm finding focus  to prepare for the Journey with GP Holiday Support Group Program.  What I'm really excited about is using the handout mentioned above to help YOU create a few good holiday recipes based on what you CAN eat!  Food, however, isn't the main focus.  It's more about getting support, learning ways to cope and how to create a happy and healthy winter, from Thanksgiving through New Years.

I look forward to sharing more soon.  Now time to see if I can fit in a nap before Luna wakes up!