In the beginning, my trainer told Nancy to never, never, never take me to a dog park. What was her reasoning behind this direction? She had said that dogs can smell the fear left behind from other dogs and that can trigger aggressive behavior. Her second reason was that many people take their dogs to a dog park because they don’t have control over their dog and the fenced area allows the dog to run free while the owner talks to other owners.
For many years Nancy followed my trainer’s advice, but one sunny day we took a different path home and discovered a dog park. I was small and felt calm as 4 dogs sniffed and flocked while their owners talked. Nancy turned to me and asked me if I wanted to give it a try. I said, “yes!”
Nancy opened the gate and we both walked in.
I was a bit cautious but was also interested in the new smells. As I entered there was the usual butt smelling, but it wasn’t intrusive and soon they all returned to what they had been doing before I had entered. At that moment, it seemed like joining the park crowd was a good choice.
Then I noticed that one of the ladies was talking to a man who was outside the fence with his golden retriever. She was encouraging him to bring his dog into the park. The man was resistant. As this conversation continued, I became aware that the woman was getting more invested in the dog joining the crowd. In fact, it began to feel like what she was doing was really an act of control not kindness.
I became a bit nervous and moved closer to Nancy. She reached down and stroked my head and asked me if I wanted to leave. I said, “Yes!” We were getting ready to leave when the man outside the park entered with his dog. The lady that was encouraging him said, “You can take your dog off his leash.” The minute he did the dog lunged at me and placed his mouth around my head.
Nancy Immediately went into action! She wedged her body between the Golden Retriever and me, then used her legs and knees to push his body away from me. This all happened in a matter of seconds.
The owner ran forward and grabbed his dog’s collar and secured his leash and pulled his dog out of the park as he continued to apologize to Nancy. Nancy continued to stroke my head, neck, and body until I relaxed. Then she said, “I think your trainer was right. We won’t be visiting a dog park again.” I was shaken, but just leaned in closer to Nancy for comfort. We were safe and our connection was even deeper from this episode.
Do you have someone who always has your back? Can you tell the difference between someone wanting to control and a real act of kindness? Have you ever ignored some advice you should have followed? If yes, did you learn a valuable lesson from the experience? Finally, what were the signs that told you that you needed to change course?
Nancy and I had experienced what felt like a slap across the head from the Universe, but we have learned from that experience. From that day on we have never allow strangers to influence what we know is right for us. When we are unsure, we just slow down and connect more deeply to ourselves and each other. In that moment we find our truth.
If you would like some help remembering how to slow down and connect more deeply with yourself or with someone else, I suggest you explore the I Create What I Believe (ICWIB) program where my friend Luke will demonstrate the ICWIB activities and show you how to shift mind states which is where the ability to connect deeply resides.
You can also explore by yourself some of the ICWIB activities https://icreatewhatibelieve.com/explore/ that can help you see and generate the support you need.
For more information about the ICWIB Online Training Program
visit https://icreatewhatibelieve.com/online-training/
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In a recent interview Dr. Bruce Lipton said, “…Freedom is the ability to create without the limitation of generational programming. The I Create What I Believe! (ICWIB!) Program is a gateway and a pathway into a new and better future because it allows children and (adults) to fully express themselves and to not be limited by the beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation. This program also frees up children’s and (adults’) minds and allows their creative nature to create a better world for all of us, which is what we need right now!”
