"Maybe we should all be a bit more dog.
To them, life is amazing.
Carpe diem. It means grab the frisbee,
so what are you waiting for?"
For someone who has gained confidence writing a blog called "Secret Quaker", grabbing the frisbee seemed like a big undertaking. As a very necessary precaution, it was necessary to consult my personal trainer before moving up to this level. Conveniently she just happens to be a dog.
As we set out yesterday morning, my dog can have had very little idea where we were heading. It may have seemed particularly unfair to be wearing that particular harness, a little humiliating as if nobody properly appreciated just how well she could now walk to heal. Suffering may often be unexplained. At the time it was impossible for her to predict the roar of a train rushing past, how a dog might react and and that this unusually tough restriction was not a judgement but imposed only through a wish to protect her.
At first the route through the woods seemed familiar. To a dog there were the smells, for humans bluebells and other signs of spring. Then we stopped to join a queue of people, who instead of turning to pat a very well-behaved dog were, quite unreasonably fumbling around for change. Then a bus drew up which looked the same as any other since dogs are colour-blind and unlikely to recognise numbers. At times dogs like people may require a little guidance.
On the command "Over" which to humans may be translated as "Mind the Gap" things started moving. A dog can live very adventurously even though when you find yourself on a moving bus surrounded by strange people, it did quite suddenly seem very strange.
That process of buying a ticket might seem of very little significance to a dog. Since for one pound dogs get a whole days travel it would suggest our local bus company prefer carrying dogs about the town to people under the age of 60. This enthusiasm for dogs is even more apparent on trains because here they travel free. Sometimes dogs are just like people in having no idea just how much they are loved.
Whereas people might look out of the window or talk to other passengers, dogs see mostly legs. Instead of enjoying the view, there are the smells of which there would seem to be quite a few. People may consider the environmental impact and a moral obligation to reduce our global footprint.To a dog Public Transport only becomes particularly significant if there have ever been crumbs on the floor.
On the journey back when even a dog feels tired, there was that moment of revelation. Then the most amazing smell happened when a lady with a rabbit in a pet-carrier came and sat close by. Those moments when a dog feels inclined to ministry should however be responsive to the sense of the Meeting, especially when this happens to be on a bus. Since not everyone shares that same enthusiasm for rabbits, through a shared silence my personal trainer was able to hear a command from someone tugging gently at the harness that she was expected to be centreing "Down!" At times it may seem the temptation to bark at rabbits can be very great. With people too there is the risk of making judgements which can be very hurtful.
We don't tend to waggle our ears about in Meeting so perhaps in listening dogs really do have the advantage. The commands we hear may not always be of our choosing, or even understood. Even though at times we may Quake at the effect, such promptings are given to us through love. For us also they are to obey.
Dogs also are able to count their blessings, such as that small bag of chicken pieces which suddenly and mysteriously appeared on the bus! When suffering is great, we appreciate the good things more.
At times, even without a collar, it is possible to experience guidance. My most recent experience of this began when I probably wasn't thinking very straight. Through some crazy impulse I decided to tidy up my computer and in doing so cleared all my viewing history. My computer had been doing nothing to be ashamed of, and so it decided to protest. Initially I was quite dismayed to discover that I could now I could no longer open my Facebook or Secret Quaker Twitter account. Late at night it was possible to imagine all my facebook Friends deciding to up and off as if there was now no possible form of communication available, no likelihood we would ever meet again and the telephone hadn't been invested.
With a little additional thought, I realised that this for me this was a lesson about the need to simplify my life. It may be argued that these days we are very much too ambitious in the number of our friends. Instead of being a good friend, there is the risk of becoming shallow, inconsistent and much less supportive than we might be. Through so many opportunities to network, we are distracted. Instead of being able to concentrate on where we are and the direction in which we are heading, there is a tendency to look behind, fish about for approval as if our worth as a human being may be improved by the number of followers.
Looking back over the past few weeks, it has been very nice not having to worry all that much about what people think by writing only as a "Secret Quaker. Maybe now I am still a little scared. Yesterday however I could feel that tug on that harness, hear the command "Over!" and found myself leaping up into the unknown for the next part of that journey.
It is very reassuring to me this morning that I do not have to be anything more than honest. At times you can see the importance of being humble, allowing yourself to led and whether or not you pay for a ticket, no more than a pattern.
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