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Personal Message from Polly KleinAs many of you already know, I’m expecting my second child in late May. Many of you have asked about my schedule. At this point I plan on seeing clients in my office until mid-May and I will continue to do phone consultations until the baby is born. After the baby is born I plan to begin phone consultations again in mid-June, but I will not begin to see clients in the office until some time in August. I will be teaching one more Animal Communication class in April before the baby is born; please see below for details. After that class I’m taking a break from teaching until the Winter of 2008, so this coming Fall please be sure to check my website for the 2008 schedule for Animal Communication and Reiki classes. Thank you! |
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On the Road AgainOne of the sad facts about sharing our lives with animals is generally speaking they have much shorter life spans than we do. Even with that knowledge, it is never easy to say goodbye to a beloved member of the family. Over the years I’ve been in practice, I’ve seen a series of cycles where many animal clients are in the dying process at the same time. I’ve spoken with a few veterinarian friends who have also seen these cycles in their practices. I’m currently going through one of these cycles now. Because so many of my own animals have come and gone during my life, I can truly empathize with people as they bear witness to the end of their companion animal’s life. It’s sad and hard for us all, but there isn’t another road through it. Teresa, one of my clients, was facing the impending death of her dog, Elby, and was clearly distraught by the thought of Elby’s death. Elby was the first dog who had ever lived with Teresa and she told me she just didn’t think she could get through it. She wondered how I had been able to have so many animals and be a part of the dying process over and over again. I shared with her the story of the first dog I had as an adult, Alex.
Alex was a Bernese Mt. Dog. He was a sweet dog with issues. He came to me traumatized and I spent much of my time with him helping him manage his anxiety. He and I had a special bond. We had a heart connection so deep that even to this day, I’m not sure I’ve felt that kind of connection with any of my other animals. It was unique and I treasured it. Some people thought it was because he was the first dog I was truly responsible for as an adult. Whatever the reason, the bond was there. When he was at the end of his life and it was clear euthanasia was the best option to end his suffering, I remember thinking, “I can’t get through this. I can’t be with him and see him die. I can’t be at home and not have him there.” At the same time, I also knew I could never allow him to leave his body without me by his side. Ultimately the day came when he could take no more and I assisted him to peacefully let go of his body. The next few weeks barely registered with me. I was in total shock and the level of grief and sadness plagued me. I blamed myself for not helping him more, even though I knew I had kept him well for a year and a half longer than any of his littermates. Though these feelings lessened over time, I was actively grieving for Alex for at least a year. As I told this story to Teresa, tears welled up in both of our eyes. In mine for touching on my feelings for Alex and for understanding that she was now going through the same thing. In hers for feeling her own pain and recognizing in me that she wasn’t alone with these feelings. Finally, I told her that the really important lesson I learned from that experience was that I actually could be there with my dog when he died, and that I could also grieve for him and get to a point where I could tell funny Alex anecdotes and laugh. Alex taught me it was possible to survive loss and find ways to connect with others in the future, even if those connections were not exactly the same as the one I had with him. I love all the animals who come to live with me, yet I feel no guilt about saying that Alex was my heart dog. It’s likely no other animal will ever fill that space and that’s okay, because I like keeping that place for Alex. I told Teresa that it never gets easier to watch one of my animals die. It’s just that I now have the experience that I can get through it and that’s what allows me to continue to bring new companions into my household. Below is a short piece I originally wrote for Dog Central on the MSN Network. If you are immersed in the grief of losing your animal or the upcoming loss of an animal, I hope it brings you some measure of comfort. I fully believe we never lose our ties to those we love, whether they are in a body or in spirit form. But the journey along the highway bridging life and death is often a tumultuous one and if you are on it, take lots of rest breaks, be kind with yourself and know that many others are on it or have traveled it before you. Fur Fur Everywhere!Sometimes when I’m in line at the grocery store I notice people around me whose clothes are NOT covered in animal fur. This always amazes me because no matter how I try to stay defurred, I always have a fine patina of blond, black and white fur adorning my clothing. You can find me in meetings picking off strand after strand, rolling the hair into an ever-growing string or ball. Once I met someone who had collected the hair from her pack of eight longhaired dogs and had it knitted into a sweater. A practical solution, I suppose, if you don’t mind smelling like Eau Du Dog (which the sweater did). Recently, while looking at the numerous fur balls wafting across the floors of my home like tumbleweeds, I glanced around seeing my fairly bald one-year-old daughter, my husband’s receded hair line and my own hair that is no longer as thick or lustrous as it once was and something occurred to me. Things are all out of balance here. The dogs and cats have too much hair and the people don’t have enough! I have a sign in my kitchen that says, “In this house dog hair is considered a condiment.” It’s true, if finding the stray strand of fur atop your pizza is unacceptable to you, then you don’t want to eat in my home. If you’ve owned an animal, you know that shed fur often outlasts them. For all the complaining I do about random clots of hair following me throughout my home, there is nothing that stops me in my tracks like coming across a missed puff of fur in the corner of a closet from a dog or cat who has long departed from this life. All of the sudden, I’m filled with memories of a sweet former companion and I treasure the fact that they’ve left behind a reminder of having shared their life with me. So, perhaps that’s how I need to look at the battle against the loose fur in my house. Maybe it’s just another way of knowing I’ll be attached to my animals forever. I like that. If you have a question you would like to see addressed in an article, please send it to Polly Klein.
Chi Patton: Buddha in a Dog Suit
I occasionally come across people who make me feel like a better person even if I am simply sitting in their presence. They walk in the world in an enlightened and peaceful way with no ego attached to it. Chi inspires me for the same reason. She’s a wise old soul Afghan/Golden mixed dog who is 16 1/2 years old. Chi’s person wondered if I would like to ask Chi some questions for her profile. Below is a portion of the transcript of our conversation and it will hopefully give you a glimpse into why Chi is such an amazing being. Polly: Chi, I talk with other people who would love to know more about you. Will you answer some of my questions? Chi: Okay I immediately got a feeling of sweet, kind, welcoming energy coming from her. Polly: When we talked before you said you accept that things change in your body. Can you tell me more about that? Chi responds by telling me she understands that she doesn’t move the same way she did when she was younger and doesn’t have as much energy. She also tells me that she doesn’t feel her body is who she is. Chi explains that she would be okay if she had no discomfort, but that she is not suffering. She tells me suffering is how you think about things. She tells me she feels whole inside and that’s who she is. Polly: A lot of people have a hard time accepting things the way you do. People and animals sometimes get upset when their body is changing or doesn't work right. Chi then tells me that things changing, wearing out or not working is just how it is, so she sees no reason to be upset. Chi tells me she believes this is part of being in a body. Polly: What else do you think is important for people to know? Chi says that when she listens to people, most people spend a lot of time thinking about not now. “We live now,” Chi says. She explains being drawn to the past or worrying about will happen are places we don't live and that we that we only live here now. Polly: It’s also hard for people not to be attached to the past or to the future. Chi tells me it would be easier for people if they were just living now. Polly: For you Chi, living in the now and accepting your body changing, don't you worry about getting weaker or your pain increasing? “Why?” replied Chi. “If that happens, that's what will be. Worrying doesn’t change that.” She explains she is content here now and tells me contentment is not about her body working, but comes from her inside spirit. Because of that belief she tells me she can have pain and still feel content. Polly: That's amazing! Most people feel cranky or sad when they hurt. Chi: Why? They are still who they are. Why not feel content and know that something is just changing? Polly: Thank you for telling me this. I am going to tell other people. It will help them. If you would like to see your animal profiled here, just e-mail a picture to paws@tonglenhealingarts.com. We will profile at least one client in each newsletter. Upcoming ClassesAnimal CommunicationApril 14th and 15th at Tonglen Healing Arts for Animals Reiki Level IIApril 28th at Tonglen Healing Arts for Animals
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