Take the Plunge

Be not the slave of your past—plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep, and swim far, so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

You must decide to move forward and not live in your past. The things you “could have or should have” done cannot take over your thoughts forever. This cycle of rethinking can happen right away or months later. You decide. You cannot avoid it, just delay.  How much is your time worth? Living in guilt is no way to live. And, life isn’t meant to be lived this way. Observe nature.

When grieving an animal, the stages of emotions are different because there are no real stages. The emotional cycle of animal loss is arbitrary and can hit you at any time.

Of course, you feel what people go through when dealing with the loss of a person which is generally accepted are stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

However, when dealing with the loss of an animal, anger doesn’t surface against the pet itself. Pets (generally) have too much unconditional love and their existence in your life saves you consistently.

When you grieve, all you see in your mind are their endearing eyes. You can hear their deep breaths. You can feel their wet noses against your face. Their pitter-patter on the floor happens and you look thinking they are still physically behind you. Food is accidentally dropped without hesitation you think that your pets will lick the floor clean.

This kind of longing-bereavement can overcome you throughout your lifetime. And, it hits you at any given moment which is why it’s hard to know how and when to keep going without them physically in your life.

You will remember them, but you don’t have to rehearse this remembering. Your heart never (ever) needs to be reminded because your love for your pets is always here.

However, one day you must decide to utilize their gifts bestowed upon you and love them forward to others. That’s their message to you. They were in your life for a reason and it is up to you to continue to carry their unconditional torch of love and kindness. It will be no good to keep reliving the past indefinitely. You will get through this.

What you can do is start right now, learn from your experiences, and be clear about the decisions you make today. It’s called “deliberate creation”. You do have the choice no matter how difficult your days and nights are.

Dealing with these uneasy emotions is not easy. The worst part of this feeling is that “we” are forced to be (sometimes on the spot) the final decision-maker. Our word alone is it.

We do feel very much alone. I believe this is why witnessing your pet grow old can be immobilizing at times and can bring about an underlying panic. We so easily get caught up in “thinking” of the future. We are human and this is normal. I resonate all too well.

Remember, you’ve got this! You will make it through. You decided to be the strength of your pet. And, you will continue to be this strength. You will do or have done your best in every moment and you will continue still to believe in yourself. Stay clear.

I know accidents happen, like leaving the back gate open, or not putting on a leash, or dropping off your pets with someone new. So many different things happen when you care for pets. Not all endings go smoothly. But every ending doesn’t need to necessarily be deemed tragic. They just are. Life just is.

This is where you go headfirst into the present moment. Take this plunge without faltering. Give it all you’ve got and then give what you’ve got some more!

You have or had a pet because you and your pet(s) were meant to be in each other’s lives. Period. No doubt about it. You learn from your pets and they in every instance guide you always in miraculous ways as they learn from you.

Stand up, get up, don’t look back, forge ahead and continue your journey with self-confidence. This mindset benefits not only you but the animals that grace your moments.

Life consists of cycles and stages. It would be nice to stop time, right? But, on this earth plane, the laws of the Universe don’t work this way. So, instead of fighting life all the way, lean into it. As you do, life works with you on so many different levels. Find the good.

If your pet has transferred energy over the rainbow bridge, look for signs now. Energy never goes away. You will get messages and guidance from them. Keep your heart open.

Be grateful for the times you share and continue to appreciate each other at every stage. Plunge right in! The water is ready!

I find insights from Wayne Dyer to be extremely helpful on days when I feel I can’t go on. Making the Shift by Wayne Dyer is an excellent audio collection and all of Wayne Dyer’s books are so very helpful.