All aboard

All aboard 

Last weekend I witnessed joy.

My 12 year old granddaughter Lydia, on stage, playing Annie, spread her little arms, lifted her face to the front lights, and sang out loud and true, “Tomorrow, tomorrow I love ya tomorrow. You’re only a daaaaay a-waaaaaaaaaay …” She was absolutely in the zone. She had found bliss and was reveling in it. The audience reveled with her. They knew they were witnessing a special moment. Their appreciative applause was enthusiastic and long.

This kid had discovered her purpose and she was absolutely on purpose. Lydia, doing what she loved and loving what she was doing.

I did it on purpose

All of the people who attend PetMassageTM workshops are rediscovering their purposes and learning the skills to create businesses in which they can help dogs. They had forgotten. They had gone off their tracks to do other things that took them on a private journey for educational, work and family experiences. When they remembered what captivated and filled them with pure joy when they were fresh and impressionable, they remembered their connections with dogs.

Belly bloating joy

I remember my first banana split. I was a tiny person and it was my birthday. The ice “dream” arrived and was placed in front of me. It was huge. It was magnificent. Three giant scoops, three different toppings, heaping swirls of piped whipped cream, topped with three glistening maraschino cherries, their long stems standing up like skinny flagpoles. I brimmed with joy. And, I devoured the whole belly bloating concoction.

Recognizing the path

For me, I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time, with the right people and with the right preparation. I had forgotten the deep connection I had with dogs. My heart knew. My head had forgotten. Then, until I was reintroduced to it, I spontaneously recognized what it was I needed to do to bring me back on board with my purpose. I now rejoice every day in the level of ecstasy that Lydia showed on stage.

It’s like comfort food

I can be constantly delighted and satisfied by new variations of taste and artistic complexity in a steady diet of expertly prepared cuisine and then … and then … on my plate I see a simple grilled cheese sandwich. Maybe a couple of sweet bread and butter pickles on the side. I am transported back to my roots with the, well, I am just so happy. Comfort food.

The journey meanders

The pathway of my journey reengaged me with horses. Then, to help my injured horse, I learned massage. Then, I began helping other riders’ horses. Then, one morning when I was demonstrating equine massage for a TV show, the horse I was massaging became very still and appeared to have fallen into a trance. My interviewer looked around for something more interesting to video. An animal that was moving would be nice. She spotted an old dog in the shadows of a barn door. She announced to the camera, “Dogs get stiff backs, too. Jonathan massages dogs.”

Scents inform memories

You may have already read about how I held the dog’s head in my hands and had my epiphany about P PetMassageTM. What you haven’t read is the sweet pheromone that welled up and captivated me. It was the same scent I had rolled about in, when as a tyke, I crawled into our mama dog’s whelping box and wriggled about with her other puppies against the moist warmth of her belly. I was immersed in puppies. It was all new squirmy life, affection, safety, dripping teats and charmingly sweet puppy pee.

I had carried that scent memory (along with the aroma of horse manure) with me through my early schooling and university, my early careers as artist and entrepreneur, nurse and human massage therapist, my parenting and social life. There was always the underlying, foundational reference to the delightfulness of puppy pee. Well, when I had the PetMassageTM vision, that was the scent that reinforced, that locked in, that validated its significance.

Find your scent, an exercise

Try this: Rub your hands together until your palms become warm. Open your hands slightly and sniff the dark warmth. You have just stimulated all the acupoints, the energy lines, and reflexive points in your palms.

Did memories surface? Does the scent remind you of what is right for you?

All aboard!

However far you may have strayed from your true purpose, you can always find your way back to your life fulfilling track. Are you going my way? Are you on the same train that I’m traveling on? Do you want to be in the right place at the right time, with the right people and with the right preparation to help dogs using PetMassageTM?

The next train to PetMassageTM -ville is May 19th at 9 AM. That’s the next PetMassageTM Foundation Level workshop, Thursday – Monday, May 19-23, 2016. http://petmassage.com/workshop-home-study/

All aboard!

1 Comment

  1. 3charming on January 12, 2022 at 6:19 PM

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