Walking with Rhea who is always walk ready!

Rhea Wisdom:"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Rhea,an unusual name I know, but in ancient times the mythological Rhea commanded a revered position among the Greek Gods and Goddesses. As the Goddess mother, mother of all mothers, her divine duty was to drive the chariot which delivered the dawn. My small partner, Rhea was delivered to me at dawn October 27, fourteen years ago along with three sisters.

So it seemed appropriate to choose dawn as the time for our daily walks. It is the hour when the city lies still, and in this quite, your senses are heightened, delivering smells, sounds, and tastes that defy detection during the course of your normal day.

I find it interesting that Dawn is the time when the static energy of night overlaps the electric energy of day, the period when all is in balance. Yogis refer to this time as Sattwa. To further explain, it is the moment just before on ocean wave retreats to gather energy for the next wave, that place of rest, when clarity and knowledge come together. Rhea and I called it walking with God, our spiritual time.

This morning ritual had become next to impossible in the first weeks after her death. I felt abandoned, alone, and I ached to see her trotting ahead, tail wagging. I worn sunglasses to disguise the red eyes and my tear stained cheeks. Nobody seemed to noticed, and I realized how we become ghosts moving through are daily routine, absent of awareness. I wondered how many changes, crisis, or loses had gone unnoticed by me?. The answer didn't matter. I just wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, SHE'S GONE, DOESN'T ANYONE CARE.

But the pain subsides, or maybe my focus just shifted to the new puppy. I don't really understand the mechanics of grief, how it comes and goes. But at the most embarrassing moments, like when speaking to my neighbor and she simply commented on Rhea's absence. I became a blubbering mess. In an attempt to console me, my neighbor tells me the story of loosing her dog not so long ago, and now we are both standing in the street sobbing. We are not alone, and there is comfort in that thought.

Clearly, my solution to remove from sight all objects that belonged to Rhea would not solve the problem outside the house. And after all, Brandy would need to be walked, but I had a plan for that problem. We (Brandy and I) would just avoid Rhea's old routes. Together we would explore new horizons, uncharted territory. Hum, how old do they have to be before you can stroll around the neighborhood? (I'll get back to you on that later.)

Jack Russells are high energy dogs, and those shorts legs can cover a lot of territory when they put their paws to the ground. Rhea was 'walk-ready' any time of day. I loved this picture of her trying to convince my husband Rick that she needs a walk.

TWIT PIC: Stay Tuned; 4 Paws on the ground, the next generation Brandy - Watch her grow!