Your Dog Is Your Greatest Therapist

My dog, Mukunda, is my greatest therapist. He teaches me how
to love every waking moment. When I sleep, I dream about him,
and he imparts his nonverbal messages of wisdom to me telepathically.

My life with Mukunda has become the central, most pivotal and
joyous part of my life. I’ve decided he loves me more deeply
than I’ve ever been loved before. This is no small realization.
This love grows more profound every day.

My moment to moment perception of Mukunda has become more
lucid and alive. As he romps and chases the ball in the pasture,
I sometimes look at him and close my eyes, so as to capture him
in a moment of beauty and magnificence.

It never fails– that microsecond glimpse of the most handsome
face I’ve ever seen does not cease to enrich my feelings of hope
and happiness. Mukunda is the happiest soul I have ever met.
And he, in turn, teaches others the lesson of what it means to be happy.

His antics are hilarious! and never to be forgotten, revered
memories, making laughter an easy act of expression.

One day, he went to visit his dog/God-mother, who has a life
sized monkey doll perched in the corner of one of the chairs
in her living space. She had given Mukunda a tasmanian devil
toy as a gift. We took turns throwing it for him. He sensed an
end to the game after an hour of toss and retrieve, and he took
the devil and placed it at the monkey’s feet looking back at
us with a laugh.

He got the reaction he was looking for! It would have been great on camera.

Most recently, Tom was mowing the pasture by the meandering
Conestoga. He moved Mukunda’s toys to an already mowed area so
he could mow the tall grasses without obstacle. When he came around
full circle, Mukunda had moved all of the toys back to the direct
path of the tractor. He stood in front of the tractor coming towards
him, pant/laughing, obstructing the flow, earning an award for perseverance!!

Three balls soared into the river in one week, recently, when the
waters were still cold from the winter. Mukunda ran along the river
bank, watching the current take them downstream, perhaps to be found
again on our first canoe trip of the season.

Since that time, balls mysteriously materialize on our walks. Recently,
we were walking through a development behind the hospital where I work
and Mukunda hopped into a wooden area and emerged with a medium sized
yellow ball, like a magician who materializes and manifests his/her
desires effortlessly. There was a great ball throwing marathon for
the rest of that day.

And he stares at me and has developed the ability to make eye
contact at frequent intervals, often sidelong glances of devotion.

I love those moments of recognition.

I often think of people’s attitudes, in general about their dogs.
There are two women at work with whom I congregate and we rave
and swoon over our dogs. My one friend instructed me on how to
lightly nibble on Mukunda’s ear. I have been doing it ever since.

I explained to one of our secretaries my dog theory– in brief– that
dogs are enlightened beings. She stepped back and said something I
will never forget: “You look like a worshiper of Dog.”

We saw the play, Sylvia, written by A. R. Gurney last Saturday.
It was about a man named Greg, who found a dog called Sylvia in
Central Park. He brought the dog home to live with he and his wife.

His wife hated the dog. Greg, meanwhile, experienced a renaissance.
He walked the dog at all hours, watched the moon travel across the
sky, saw maple tree leaves silhouetted against the Manhattan skies.
He stopped going to work to be with the dog.

The audience loved the play. The theater was packed. At intermission,
the man sitting next to me announced he was like Greg’s wife,
and did not like his partner’s dog. He said: “Every night I put
her in a crate. I would never allow her to sleep with us, that’s for sure.”

His wife sat quietly.

I thought, yes, this is how people think not only of dogs, but of
the entire animal realm and also mother nature, which notoriously
is out of human control.

Dogs– are here to obey people.

Is the dog a good dog? Does the dog do tricks, fetch the newspaper
to bring the bad news of the day to an already burned out master or
mistress?

Do they return devotion to the magnificent beast, return the
unconditionality of love the dog has for them?

Humans believe they are superior to animals. This is ingrained
in spiritual and religious philosophies of our culture.

This is how dogs are viewed: as dumb animals. If a dog proves
his/her brilliance, people laugh at themselves for even one moment
seeing the greatness, the awesome power of the creature whom in
reality, is superior to humans.

I am the only person in Mukunda’s life whom he considers to be
a dog. He does not feel hurt if I scold him or mind if I get
irritated when he nudges my writing arm, as I write these words.
He thinks everything I do– is funny.

Last night, while watching a home video, he sprawled himself across
my chest and stared at me. Occasionally, he leaned over to lick my
eye, or bite my nose. If I said words to him, he cocked his head.

Naturally, he was nagging me to go out, but in a charming way.

Being seen as a dog is the greatest compliment of my life, given
me by Saint Mukunda, no less. All the compliments of the world are
shallow, by comparison.

Mukunda sees me as being one with him. He moves where I move, I
move where he moves. He lies on my feet with sun shining and illuminating
this writer’s page.

I am like Greg in the play, Sylvia. I was not awake before Mukunda
showed up. Now everyday thereafter is new and bright and simple.

The world continues to encroach with diversion and complexity, yet
Mukunda stands as the guiding beacon getting back to balance, to writing
on these pages, feeling the great creative life seethe inwardly and
outwardly to be realized any moment I wish to remember the Free Zone.

That is where all the dogs I have ever known and all the others are
now: in the Free Zone.

The Free Zone exists inwardly, as we meditate, and in the hazy
afternoons doing creative projects away from clock time and deadlines.

We will bring the Free Zone more and more into our experience
and reality and move about with the knowledge of this inspiring
place in our cells and every day memory. The dogs are there and
they know we are there, as well. We just do not know it, yet.

Mukunda knows The Free Zone.

We have to be electrocuted in the third eye before we come even
close to knowing true freedom.

Yet it’s there and your dog will show it to you.

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Kate Loving Shenk is a writer, healer, musician and the creator
of the e-book called “Transform Your Nursing Career and Discover
Your Calling and Destiny.” The book is designed to stimulate
nurses to love their work and to prevent on-the-job-burnout.
Click here to find out how to order the e-book:
http://www.nursingcareertransformation.com
Check out Kate’s Blog: http://nursehealers.typepad.com
http://mukunda22.powerfulintentions.com
https://secretsofthenursehealers.wordpress.com
And the Lens: http://www.squidoo.com/katelovingshenk
http://www.squidoo.com/thinkriches
http://www.mukunda22.powerfulintentions.com/forum/thinkandgrowrich
http://progressives4pennsylvania.blogspot.com
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