The Futile Fight of Pollyanna VS Chicken Little – Thoughts on Radical Acceptance.!
Updated: January 31, 2016
Dearest Sparkly being,
Yes by the title of this weekly offering and invite for your participation it sounds like I’m revisiting some old ideas but the events of my week (and perhaps yours?) have given me cause for some deep thought this morning.
If you’ve been following my blog, posts on Facebook and me bawling on my radio show this past Thursday you know my little family has been on a rollercoaster with our newest edition Olli who was diagnosed at Christmas with inflammatory brain disorder. She is the center of our focus and has become one of my most profound teachers.
After she had another bout of seizures last weekend we had to drive a couple hours into the city to deliver her into the capable hands of her specialist at the emergency clinic. From one day to the next she went from doing terribly to rallying then failing then rallying, two good days, almost home then nope “We need to keep her here another day” etc.
As much as I have been practicing remaining in the observer and surrendering to what is, I’ve had a chance to consider what that all means now, and it’s brought up some questions to think about. The first one being about true acceptance and what that really means.
I noticed the worse she got the more I was projecting about her demise and the horrific grief that would accompany that. When I talked about radical acceptance I saw I was not really doing that. What I was accepting was the potential of her death- not the same thing at all. Isn’t it interesting how we prepare in advance for what may come? Chicken Little was awake and in full battle gear for the terrible times ahead.
Then of course on the days that began with good news of her stability the ever so magical ALL WILL BE WELL giddiness took over. Pollyanna had arrived ready to run that pitiful paranoid little poultry off the road! There is NO Sadness.. now GO AWAY.
Of course neither Pollyanna nor Chicken Little are right but both were fighting to drive for a destination of absolute certainty and that is the whole point.
Holding space for grief or relief in advance is like another form of grasping for certainty. Its an interesting twist of the mind and heart and one, when I’m doing it, feels so real although it has no basis in form yet. It’s another way the mind tricks the body into a sense of certainty even if that certainty is terrible.
Of course no one does this on purpose! But for me, that heartache was so palpably familiar I didn’t even realize my part it in it until a couple days of serious sadness immersion had gone by (although sitting in my pjs snorting up all the final season of Downton Abbey back to back will never get my regret!)
Bottom line I knew I had to shift my focus. I began to realize the memory of unresolved loss, and the grief of so many rescued pets that all passed too soon was what I expected!
I was gently reminded by someone to look at what I expected. My foundation belief and thought was that I was a person who “always adopted sick pets”.
Whoa.
Therein lies the way the subconscious continuously looks to prove what you believe and expect is real. Sneaky bugger.
Olli, on the other hand, even with her concerned prognosis was having the time of her life being spoiled rotten, swaddled in blankets carried around the hospital by one vet tech after another, and getting specially bathed in a big dog bowl.
So here is the point to all this.
I do not know anything with absolute certainty other than to face my own patterns of established thought and to see what I keep affirming unawares. That takes effort to stay awake and look within without judgment or shame. Pollyanna and Chicken Little are automatic little creatures that come from a reaction and a pull to certainty. Yet, bringing them together in an integrated fashion reminds me “this and that is true”. Neither of them are wrong!
All aspects of life are part of the whole picture. What is dangerous is the strident need for certainty that prevents us from tuning into the truth that we are both the shaped and the shaper, and we don’t always know which one we are when our humanness takes over and long rehearsed emotions run high.
So I began to refuse the belief about my need, or fact or whatever motivates me to be a rescuer.
I began to affirm and repeat the Hawaiian Ho’oponopono prayer.
- I’m sorry.
- Forgive me.
- I Love You.
- Thank You.
Without going into too much detail (there are so many great books on this powerful prayer and process) I began to be so present forgetting my expectations -either way- and really getting the perfection of it all.
And, of course, Olli took a turn for the better.
Is it easier for me to write today because Olli is home right now and seems to be stable? Probably and I have no clue about anything other than my current reality now.
I don’t regret feeling the feelings either.
One good thing about falling into grief is sad songs, and as a musician I got all kinds of great ideas this week!
But if I believe in the idea that my thoughts and expectations shape my reality and affect others, I need to be mindful of the pattern that may initiate it.
Everything that happened this week reminds me to watch when old ideas begin to seduce with strong emotional pull.
I can’t decide what happens with Olli but I know I can change my thoughts and beliefs about my projections.
I’m not sure about you but do you notice this in your life too? The seduction of the past when presented with a potential of a similar outcome is not an easy one to avoid. But, like I said last week, life is about constant change and we need to remember progress not perfection.
Right now I’m watching her settled on the floor for a nap just grateful for this moment unencumbered by my need for it to last forever.
Love you ALL – Tag you’re it !!
Dearest, most precious Colette, thank you so much for your honesty, insight and love. I am taking two of my pets to the vet today, no suffering like your precious Olli, a routine desexing for my kitten, and a possible abscess for my other cat. I lost three of my furbabies last year, and it was devastating. I have been very anxious about today, as I’d projected some potential terrible type of immune disorder on my baby. I never realised I was projecting this until I read your blog today. I’ve been focussed on what has happened in the previous year, the past! So today I have borrowed your Hawaiian Ho’oponopono prayer, and am now just asking Spirit for help and whatever is, will be.
It’s uncanny how often you write the exact things I need to read. Between you and a cuddle from my dog, I am set to take on the day.
Love and healing to Olli and your family. Thank you and bless you! Love, Alannah
big love .. xoxo
Dear Colette, By any chance did Olli receive a series of routine vaccinations before she became ill? Many years ago I was mum to a healthy Jack Russel named Dexter who suddenly started getting ill. The poor boy was practically hairless despite everything we were trying with the conventional vet and specialists. He was getting worse on all the steroid medications and antibiotics from the well-meaning vet.
I then found a veterinary homeopath who raised the possibility that Dexter might be vaccine-damaged. I thought at the time that she was out of her mind… but that was perfect because I really needed to hear from someone who was way outside my paradigm of thinking.
I was stunned when she pointed out that the dose in one vaccine is the same whether it is for a 100 pound dog or a 5 pound dog.
The new vet put together a homeopathic vaccine detox. I did not realize what homeopathics were at the time.. plant extracts so diluted that only their spiritual essence remains. They somehow help to drain tissues so that the body can do its job of healing itself. I was afraid to hold hope but Dexter started to get better quickly and his hair started to grow back in. Later we added high EPA fish oil (EPA is more anti-inflammatory than DHA), and curcumin. (Nowadays there is a type of nano particle, well-absorbed curcumin which crosses the blood-brain barrier and works better).
Anyways, we removed all the foods Dexter was sensitive to, fed him a mainly raw diet, and worked on healing his gut (where at least 80 percent of our immune tissue resides). Because the gut and brain are linked via the vagus nerve, thankfully we can heal the brain and any auto-immune condition by removing irritants and healing the gut.
Forgive me. I have no idea how to post so I am probably answering in the wrong section, but I felt I had to share this.
My heart is full. Thank you Colette for all that you do.
Much love to you and Olli and family.
xxxooo
Yes and as a matter of fact a naturopath just told me this came from her shots when she was little as well as strong allergies to cleaning products ( we use only white vinegar and water) from when she was raised, and round worm. She is on a lot of meds right now just to keep her stable and we are adding specific remedies to help her naturally. Thanx for sharing this was very helpful
I love you. Period. <3 XXXOOO
awwwwwwww
Hi Colette, thank you for reminding me of where our minds can go. To fall into thinking the old way in times of stress feels right but is not what we can choose to do. When life gives us challenges, it is a new concept to me, thanks to you, that looking at it and seeing it more from an observer point of view helps to break old patterns. I feel empathy for what all of you and little Ollie are going through right now. She is so lucky to have pet parents like you. Pets in all forms have much to teach us. Having just said goodbye to mine of 14 years included him in my meta meditation, wishing him to be full of loving kindness, well and peaceful and at ease, and free of suffering and happy. All the time thinking that this would turn out for my best. But realizing that after he was gone, that I indead that is what happens for him, but not in the way I thought it should. When I realized this it was a big’ ah-ha’ moment, and a reminder of how things can be but not so much of how I think they should turn out. Love and light to you all. Thank you for bringing the light of awareness to so many.
This is my first time reading a post, and what a perfect one it is for me right now! One month ago, the dear baby girl my son and his wife were expecting died at 21 weeks, a good friend is failing in a long battle with lymphoma. I am noticing throughout both these experiences how I over identify with their painful, unwanted situations, and carrying their feelings (as I imagine they might be,) and suffer the same kind of negative outlook that you describe yourself suffering from with Olli’s challenges. I realize my work is to disengage from my “awfull-izing” imaginations, send my loved ones good hopeful energies, and practice nurturing my own wellbeing. I am delighted that you shared the Hawaiian Ho’oponopono prayer, simple, and profound, it seems like a true gem. I will be adding it to my practices.
May all be well. with Thanks, Sue
thanx for sharing Sue
Dearest Colette, thank you for once again finding the most perfect way of explaining why things are happening as they are at the moment and for reminding me of the Ho’oponopono prayer. My thoughts and prayers are with you and with Olli. You reach to the heart of all of us in the way you share, encourage and empathise, while feeling the pain. You have such a beautiful heart. Bless you. Alison
xoxox
Yes! I think most of us are guilty of this but I do the same. My dog had a urine infection this week and because he’s old, I instantly assumed the worse and felt sad. When it comes up, I do exactly as you do and remind myself to live in the moment, instead of expecting the worse. Some days it’s easy to remember, others, it’s not so. x
Hi Colette,
Thank you for your thoughts this week. It really resonated with me, although my collection of fur babies are all fine. I find it can be really hard letting go of past experiences to look for a different outcomes. Part of it is the way the brain is wired, hueristics being an example of how we use shortcuts to make decisions and unconsciously using our previous experiences to do so. I think it’s probably a similar sort of thing when faced with Pollyanna/chicken Little situations.
So with all that said, thanks for the timely reminder. In the past couple of days I’ve found myself in a situation where the outcome could be really good… Provided I leave the past in the past. So I thank you and I think it’s time to start a bit of praying – Hawaiian style.
Helen
yep.. and to be aware what is the past… that is our task 😉
Oh dear Colette, I do so feel for you!
You have explained so accurately that way we juggle feelings and futures when a beloved is sick. They seem so helpless and so do we.
All I can think is how lucky she is to have found you!
What would be happening to and for her if you were not her’s now? That cute girl snagged a good one!
oxoxoxo
Dear Colette,
I’ve been following you since I heard you speak on “Healing with the Masters”. You see, I’m French, living in France and I had never heard about you before — sorry about that! 🙁 — I find your wit and the way you express yourself very compelling, and on top of it, like you, I’m an animal lover so I do relate to all you say — thank you so very much for sharing by the way. I wanted to leave a comment today because certainty is certainly (!) something I’ve been struggling with. Like you, trying to make sense of it all, I wondered why certainty, even when it meant being certain of the worst outcome, seemed more comfortable than uncertainty. I realized that living in a world of duality, we, as humans, couldn’t but be drawn towards one of the two ends of the spectrum. Darkness or Light, pain or joy, death or Life. It was the obvious, the most natural choice. The in-between state doesn’t make sense to us. It’s either or. So I do think we’ve got to learn how to accept uncertainty as the only “way out”…or “way in” rather! To have anything possible in our Life, it has to be uncertain. To be happy, we have to let go of the illusion of control and uncertainty is certainly 🙂 the key to that. This is the philosophy of living in the now that you illustrate so well.
I wish you, and Ollie of course, the Best of the Best.
Much Love to you,
Catherine
love this ” uncertainty is the way in” .. and that is the way to freedom!
Sending some more good thoughts Olli’s way. Glad she is back home with you.
I’m not sure I’ve projected past experiences onto more recent ones, but I do know that after my then eldest rescue dog was diagnosed with cancer, my biggest focus after taking the best possible care of him and my other dogs (and myself, sorta!), was to work at remaining present as much as possible. My boy very sadly passed away eight months ago, but I also have much to be grateful for. I wrote a post called ‘Be Present’, about how Reiki helped me to make the most of the time we did have together, including precious time snuggled in his bed with him the next before he left us. It often felt we were being dragged over a roller coaster and my heart felt broken and still does, but the conscious decisions I made also helped me to make the best of each day with him and to notice each miracle too. I have some very precious photos that I will treasure always, from some really tough days.
I’m so very grateful to share my life with dogs.
thanx for sharing xo
Hi Colette,though difficult it all makes perfect sense. Best wishes to you. Thank you for all that you do. You help a tremendous amount of people. It must be an incredible feeling! Thank you.
Dear Colette
lots of love to all your family
thank you so much for being my lighthouse and inspiration
What will be will be. Still, I wish YOU and SWEET OLLI the BEST. Sending love and good thoughts your way. Thanks for your openness. Thanks for all you are and do.
Colette,I forgot to mention how I understand that our animals are our babies. Best to sweet Olli! Beverly
Thank you for this, Colette. It struck a chord in me. I want to send Reiki and Angels to you and Olli for the highest good. I have a fur baby too and I too often get my ‘chicken little’ and ‘pollyana’ going. Your blog just reminds me to also forgive myself during these times (present and past) because we are human. Taking it one day at a time and noticing our patterns and projections and adjusting accordingly. Thank you for your voice and all you do. Blessings to Olli and all of your family (furry or not ?)
Hi Colette,
Thanks for your amazing insight with the cards. I thoroughly enjoy your readings, yay.
You and your family have my utmost heartfelt sympathies during these medical trying times with Ollie. I kinda know what your going through and it IS very hard. I had no option but to be cruel to be kind with our old (nearly 17 years) and dear companion Ellie, she was brave and tried her hardest to be her old self and stay with us but I knew it was time for her to be at peace and join her Mom. I relented and asked the Vet to help her on her journey home. I was heartbroken and didnt know how to tell the family what I had agreed to. Lucky for me they were glad “I” had made the tough decision. You and all your “family” are in our thoughts. Hugs
big hugs thanx for sharing
Colette-
Thank you for sharing what you’re discovering as you go through this journey. I have gone though having a dog with a brain illness and seizures (late is his life) and it was so darn unpredictable. The situation in my life right now is one full of learning what patterns I have that would be better to let go of, and just wanting to know the outcome is a big pattern for me. I have been job hunting for awhile, hopeful to stay in my same city after a layoff (big company downsizing). Thankful to have severance $ from working there many years, I am soon to have to look at other cities in addition to my current one. I do “know” that everything will be fine, yet I crave knowing exactly what the outcome will be. Much love to you and your husband and all your fur babies as you journey together. Your posts are SO helpful, thank you again for sharing your thoughts.
big love ! your perfect job is on its way
Prayers and healing energy for both you and Olli. Our little fur family members always bring so much into our lives. Even with the trials and sorrow their unconditional love brings light.
thank you for sharing … and also thanx to everyone else I didn’t get to say thank you to!
Thanks for your words of wisdom! I am dealing with minor health problems and notice the Pollyanna to Chicken Little thinking. When the symptoms are gone I think, “Hurray I am done with this issue. I have a good body.” When the symptoms come back I think,”I will be like this forever or it will get worse.” I am still trying to take the step back from the thoughts. xoxo
The awareness alone sets us free to surrender to what is , and what needs to be without our interference. I think that’s the point of being both the shaped and the shaper.. we can do so much, then we need to step back, even with our minds, especially with our minds/emotions.
Dearest Colette,
My heart is swelled with your message this week. I have been stuck in my small self and old patterns. Today, I choose to connect. Connect with Spirit in my highest and best form. If that means closing or changing my business, I am willing to do so. If that means getting into the muck and slogging through, I am willing to do so. I do ask for the right action to be clear and the physical and mental energy to be present to continue the path for me.
Emotions of failure and physically feeling tired have been my constant companions and yet I do have knowingness of peace, ease and financial abundance. Dropping the how and why questions and being in surrender is an option, but it seems like I have to be in that space longer that productively possible to get things done.
I love you and am so grateful for you.
Infinite Love and Gratitude.
grateful for your share.. and everyone else’s I didn’t write back to!
Hi Colette
I think that it is wonderful that you read each email and respond to them! Good luck with little Ollie, there are a lot of us out there who have been there, done that with our beloved pets. You can’t live and care about some living thing without the emotional ups and downs, I guess.
Love your blog.
Thank you
Jane
well I try! 😉
Regarding the Flexible card that keeps coming up – it’s interesting that astrologers are talking about 2016 being full of mutable energy. Mutable, flexible….haha!
oracles rock!
Stunning staying-with-what-is — subject and object — towards brilliant clarity and insight! It is a true gift to take one’s own life as the case for evolving perspective and — dare I say — liberation from the formless and projected shackles of expectation and suffering. This kind of prevalent suffering is well supported by our victim culture and keeps us paralyzed from life itself. Out of the head and into the body! This school is about embodiment and honing tools of heart and mind with the intention to pay attention and employ this radical acceptance. Thanks for going to the core of it. Yay for you, for Olli, for all of us.
you got it !! I love it when someone really gets the message .. love your explanation.
Hi Colette,
Big prayers, hugs and good thoughts to you and your family, especially Olli! I have to share how synchronicity is coming together for me right now in the best way. I love to read your blog as well as my acupuncturists’ (she is also gifted with a connection to Spirit) and Doreen Virtue’s. All 3 of you are talking about the same thing this week–it’s like you all are my badass spiritual triumvirate. I practically fell out of my chair when I really took it all in. You have all touched on the themes of removing blocks, self-made limitations and forgiving ourselves and others–you and my acupuncturist both even mention the ho’ponono prayer! Something in the larger consciousness has certainly reached out to all 3 of you and it’s saying the same thing: time to let go of anything holding us back and to ask for help if we need it in order to do so. I know I’m going to continue my dialogue with Archangel Michael to help me (and to protect your Olli) and to keep pushing forward with what I’m working on, a writing project I think is the gateway to achieving my greater life’s purpose. I am also going to try that special Hawaiian prayer you mentioned. I am keeping my fingers crossed for your family and as I said, sending you all loving thoughts.
love it when that happens!
Dear Colette,
thank you. I always learn so much from you. I have a tendency/ need to try to “fix things”, make things “right” in my relationships…I need to talk things out to process. This has been a bit of a challenge when you are dealing with people that don’t like to talk things out and need to go inward for their process. So, my need to “do” something tends to come off as a bull in a china closet and usually makes things worse. If I don’t act on my need to “do something” I become very anxious, which then magnifies the situation even more…making me act out of craziness and anxiety (not a good combo). I also am pretty sensitive and intuitive to people. I can usually tell when people are trying to manipulate a situation, have hidden agendas or cause trouble, but at the same time present themselves as very sweet/charming. I can usually see through the deceit before anyone else and am always baffled when others are fooled by the facade of sweetness, when it is SO clear to me. I used to have to try to bring it to everyone’s attention, but again would come off as a bull in a china closet, crazy and paranoid. So, a couple of years ago I had to start a practice of when I was feeling the need to “act” and “do something” or the need to “fix a situation” “expose a person for who they truly are” or if I feel that I need to release resentment or wrong doing (actual wrong doing or perceived on my part) it also helps me calm my monkey brain and stop over analyzing …instead of doing anything, especially calling people out or becoming passive aggressive..I breathe, walking while doing this help a lot…I say the persons name aloud then I say I forgive you for any wrong you have done to me or against me, known or unknown or any wrong I have perceived that you have done…I love you…Please forgive me and I release you to the Holy Spirit. I always end with myself…forgiving myself is the hardest, but this ritual helps. I have a love, spoiled child relationship with God. I have moments of surrender and real faith and then a lot of moments of “I’m not getting my way, so you must not be real and what difference does it make (insert a stomp of the foot there). Your blog reminded me of my ritual and how much it REALLY has helped me in the past, release circumstances out of my control, stop my monkey mind and calm the anxiety. I actually JUST did this ritual/prayer the other day for the first time in months…the person that I forgave and dedicated my yoga practice to, I hadn’t spoke to him in over 90 days and was resigning myself to the fact that I/we would no longer be a part of each others life our story had ended…. within an hour of my prayer he text me out of the blue. Your blog today gave my ritual/prayer a name and now I want to learn more about the Hawaiian Ho’oponopono prayer. Thanks again!!
beautiful
Colette,
Once again, SO ENLIGHTENING! Thank you!
I’ve been examining my “core beliefs” and find that much of what I think is simply not true and no longer serves me. Yes, it’s work, but so beneficial! I’m getting better at not projecting the outcome of things, working towards what I’d like to see, and then letting it flow. Much more peaceful!
Blessing to you and yours, ch
Thank you so much for this post and for sharing your journey. It has confirmed I’m not alone in falling into Pollyanna / Chicken Little thinking. My husband has been going through a health challenge for the last year or so. From specialist to specialist our hopes, emotions and thinking patterns rise and fall. I find my own emotions and thoughts following his pattern of good days and not so very good days. With awareness of this pattern, I’m learning to step back, observe, and just flow with what is happening in the moment. I’m learning to appreciate and be grateful for the lessons we are learning along the way and to bring a new sense of awareness to my day. We all do not know where our journey will take us and all the predicting only takes us farther from the wonderful gift of now. I sometimes imagine myself in a little boat just floating on the water, sometimes the water is calm and sometimes it is rough, but the view to the sunshine and the stars above is always available if I take the time to notice. This quote has helped me to remember this – sorry I don’t recall the author. “Remember, the miracles are in the rolling seas as well as waiting to be discovered when we reach new shores.” Love and enjoy little Oli today and let tomorrow come tomorrow. Blessings to you!
I read your blog first thing this morning. Why? Synchronicity! I was falling into a familiar pattern that was unhealthy: doubt! I stopped midway through your article and decided to give this one up to God. I let go and let God because I didn’t like the way I was handling it. Your comment “my thoughts and expectations shape my reality and affect others” drove it home for me. I gave away my doubt so that my thoughts do not negatively affect a person I love. That’s it! Just letting go! Thank you Colette. Please keep shining your light on this world. By helping some (like me) you help many others (like that person I love!)
Colette,
I read your blog and then went on to read my Abraham-Hicks daily mail. I found it interesting that this seemed so in tune to your blog. I am pleased that little Olli has rallied once more. Prayers are with you all.
“You are all perfect and expanding; you are all adored and worthy; you are all here having your exposure to experiences and doing the best that you can from where you are. You have not been sent here in a test or trial; you’re here as creators as part of an expanding Universe. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t have, at the root of that which you are, Well-Being, and then have that same root of Well-Being have the capacity to pronounce you evil. It is vibrationally impossible. That judging, vengeful God is manufactured from humans’ place of deepest despair.”
—Abraham
Excerpted from: Fort Collins, CO on June 19, 2004
brilliant
Our brains are designed to scan for danger and problems to solve so that we can solve things and survive. The problem lies more in the way we solve things….chicken little vs pollyanna. I am trying to be more like Winnie The Pooh who methodically went about finding his way through whatever was happening. To quote A.A. Milne “Oh bother said Pooh” which is a very different approach from my usual !@##$%^&**! LOL
LOVE THIS
I felt the deep loss of moving away from my children this weekend. For the first time, it really hit me deeply. And I have learned through your blogs over the past few weeks, it is all about radical acceptance to what is. Spirit, the angels made it very clear to me in 2014 that Austria is going to be my new home. I refused to accept it for almost a year, but in the end, I knew I needed to go if I wanted to get out of this life that wasn’t really a life anymore. Then you wrote about turning off the pc, phone, tablet and let spirit talk to you and it did on Saturday afternoon, giving me clarity that I need to go and see the youth and grandkids, and then regroup. I realize that it hasn’t helped that I constantly think how I miss my friends in Ottawa and Perth, Ontario, the open roads, the wildlife, the lakes and rivers everywhere. No wonder I haven’t been able to make any friends here really over the past almost 5 months. I will use the prayer to help me through this. And I know, the strength I will need to actually decide to come back here, even if I don’t know yet what the future holds. I guess the strength to let go of the certainty of what is to come. Be open. Thank you Colette for helping us all!
Colette
I’m definitely struggling with believing that what is outside my box is the way and the answer. As I woke up this morning I had a thought of “the way in is the way out”, so your message for this week resonates with me. I was listening to your show when you got news of Ollie and my heart was with you. Accepting their path and knowing when it comes to a close (as all of ours will) is difficult, but also knowing that everday moment of his life was spent with you/Mark that are so devoted and LOVING-well some animals and people just don’t get to experience that. What an incredible gift! I had a beautiful cat, Rudy who chose me to live with-literally, came to my door. I loved him, his friendship and the bond we had was amazing. I thanked spirit everyday for his presence….and when I had to put him down I knew he had experienced the best of my love…and I believe he might have felt the same. Hugs Colette and thank you for your work!
X laurie
Dear Compassionate Colette, Ollie, and family (including all your fur-babies… What a blessing you all are in sharing so openly! I am taking your ‘Weight Release Energetix Lite’ course and it is really opening up such beautiful things in my life; so thank you so much! People and animals come through to me, even if they are still in this life; especially if they have an important message to convey to their loved ones, but the loved ones are having trouble ‘seeing it’ due to their own intense emotions. Of course, the animals are always in their state of BE-ING unimpeded in their connection with Source/God/Higher Self/All One Consciousness and they know of their own preciousness, divinity, and unconditional love; they KNOW that they ARE LOVE INCARNATE and live entirely in each NOW moment and the interesting thing is, THIS is how they see US. They see us as strong, vibrant BE-INGS of LIGHT AND LOVE and without looking backwards or forwards in the time/space continuum, they leave room/a vacuum for Spirit to come in and bring to them their next experience and their next etc. Your precious Ollie knows only that she IS love and of her eternalness and how much YOU Colette and family have brought beauty, acceptance and unconditional love and caring to her – yes – and despite the fact that we usually outlive our pets on this ‘plane’ and know how hard it is to have them transition; you have chosen to enrich Ollie’s and many others lives anyways. How precious you are Colette and family and all of you others who rescue these dear ones! I am in tears of gratitude for you all!!! XO
love you xoxox
Colette, We are chosen, because we are capable of the compassion, patience, holding of space and love that these beloved creatures of great humanity and unconditional love need. My Matthew, an adorable black and white Parti Cocker at age 4 was Dx with AIDS. Not the Human kind, his immune system just checked out. Matthew was with me until he was 11. Later and most recently and the reason I’m commenting is because of my ” mamacita” , Abbey. My beautiful chocolate cocker spaniel who picked me 15.5 years ago. At age 2 she was Dx with seizures of an unknown cause. We tested everything, except a spinal tap. She was seen by the well known Dr. Steven Blake ( The Pet Whisperer ) as well as other specialists. Abbey ultimately has been calmed and seizure free with the use of a human medication, generic name Zonisamide 100 MG. My point to you, it’s just a diagnosis. It doesn’t define who they are or how long they will be in your life…..enjoy the journey. ~ nancie
very helpful xoxox
Dear Colette,
I love that you are so real with your blogs. So sorry you’ve been through the emotional agility course with dear Olli. It’s a gift that you live where the vets are skilled enough to know what’s physically up with your tiny teacher.
Love and blessings to you all.
Dear Colette:
I have read that pets can develop illnesses that reflect what is going on in their owners lives in an attempt to heal their owners. How interesting that Olli developed this disorder in order to bring to light ” the memory of unresolved loss, and the grief of so many rescued pets that all passed too soon was what I expected!”
What a brave little soul Olli is to take on such a big lesson. Bless Olli’s little heart, and bless your courage for doing the work to realize that …”The seduction of the past when presented with a potential of a similar outcome is not an easy one to avoid. But, like I said last week, life is about constant change and we need to remember progress not perfection.”
That is an amazing insight, and I thank you for all you did to reach this place of surrender. Bright Blessings to you and yours.
bless you oxox
Ohhhhh yes, Colette!!
So true, so true! My (main?) emotional addiction that’s been keeping me complacent is a sweet sadness. My mom’s form was it “getting all maudlin”– a belief that something irrevocable was lost and daydreaming about it (Which she did at weddings and when watching sad, romantic movies. Only later did I notice that I did the same thing in a slightly different way: I get all dreamy-eyed poignant sad about things I believe I cannot have. And get stuck there…thinking about what is just slightly out of my reach. I expected never to quite get the things I desired.
Well, do that for 30 years! I finally asked myself: “Uh, wait–when is it my time?!?” That sweet, sadness was keeping me sooo complacent. To answer the question, “Now is my time!” I am in no way “cured”…but most times now, I am awake. 🙂
Thanks for telling your version of the story.
Thankfully Ollie has kind and loving caretakers to provide the best medical care that is available. You and Marc and the
specialists are doing everything they can.Isn’t the hardest part to admit that we don’t know????????????? The why and the
where or even the how??
I have a relative who is 94 1/2. Medically; the doctors said over two years ago; that she can expect to die shortly. That did not happen.
She has refused certain surgical procedures. and does take a lot of medication, yet she is still alive. I do speak with her frequently
and try to encourage her to listen to music; or try to walk for five minutes; because the story is always about her pain; and
sometimes it is difficult to listen to this over and over again. It must be divine providence/grace that she is still alive. Where she
gets the strength to keep on is quite remarkable.
On the other hand; my brother lost his companion/dog when suddenly he jumped on a dumpster chasing a squirrel and
fell onto his back. The dog (6 Years old) was instantly paralyzed and an ambulance was called. It was suggested that his current state would
not change. He was put down. My brother who is 64 asked WHY? did that happen. I responded and said that sometimes
heartbreaking things occur. It is a part of life/death/endings. That dog was such an intimate part of his life/day. It was a
tragedy and a shock that his life was ended so suddenly. Not thine, but DIVINE will be done. Anything is possible.
Miracles are a part of the mystery of life. They do and can happen. TRUST that everything is just as it is meant to be.
Whatever is meant to happen will. SO BE IT.
XOXO
life on life terms.. we are both the shaped and the shaper
Thank you so much for this perfectly timed blog. My Pollyanna and Chicken Little have been battling since my 10 year old golden retriever Molly who has been dealing with hip dysplasia all her life is now dealing with a cancer diagnosis. All the vets offered were pain pills. Chicken Little was winning especially with Christmas looming and all its perfectionist expectations. Realizing this was definitely not the right path to be on I went on a homeopathic/herbal research blitz. Long story short things are going very well. If my housefull of fur feather and scale “kids” (most rescued) have taught me anything it is to live in the moment and to be thankful for those moments. Apparently we get the pets we need, not necessarily the ones we want. It is very hard to see the lessons we are supposed to learn when an animal we rescue and despite our best efforts dies in our arms. Thank you so much for sharing your story as it helps to know that others are facing the same challenges and how to deal with it. Wishing you and Ollie all the best.
Hi,
Your email today is so helpful to me today. I am sitting at my
bestfriend s bedside as she is
preparing to transition. It reminds me to live in this moment in gratitude for the lesson I am. learning. Namaste.
Trina
sending love !! oxoxo
Hi Colette – hugs, kisses and much love to you and your fur baby Olli. I find that when I’m faced with serious drama (good or bad), I have a tendency to react to the situation like I had reacted years prior. Recognizing that and making an attempt to change the reaction is half the battle, and it’s a ton of personal growth. The next time the situation arises, I find it a little easier to react in a more healthy manner. We are all growing with every experience. If we aren’t growing, then we must be dead. 😉 In the end, it’s all good!
Dear Colette
Love Ya I had to put my dog down. The Harsh Reality is you have to decide on who is suffering more. The Love for your Pets Never go away They are always close to you There is such an attachment ans special love for Adopted Animals
Maybe you are a Rescuer at Heart because of personal History
Much Love No matter you will know hat to do
sorry for your loss sending you big hug xoxo
Hi Colette~
Living in deep uncertainty from changes this year, I totally get the Pollyannah v Chicken Little polarities. There is so much comfort when I think I know where I am and then plan how to be ok there. But the uncertainty has been the point- to create more than the same trajectory/feelings/outcomes/insights etc…to go beyond them and allow there to be something else. Truly it’s knocked me to my knees, have had some of my very worst moments ever. Ever. And then like your sweet Olli, i rally, and find another way, and try something else, or just allow the Pain Body to be what it is without identifying too closely with it. And still some days I have zero sense of faith, and other days I’m the poster child for it. I exhaust myself. I want a vet to carry me around and wrap me in blankets.. Sending you love as always, and cheering all of us big hearted types on. xox Lisa
blankets and hugs shared 😉
Dear Colette, thanks so much for sharing. i too am an animal advocate and I have a bunny rescue…almost 100 free range “wascally wabbits” I think our human nature seems to manifest fear of the unknown rather than joy in the expectation of healing perfection.
I also am a HUGE cannabis advocate and have seen/experienced the miracles personally. Little Olli, need some CBD cannabis oil. it is the same oil that Sanjay Gupta discussed on his MJ special about brain disorders. We have a FB page for pets too
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1382664958671162&ref=ts&fref=ts
If you need help or more information I can find a local provider for you that will walk you thru the steps. We all need cannabis to top up our endocannabinoid receptors to heal and also prevent disease.
I am going to look into this. Thank you. Not sure if we can get this in Canada
Hi Colette and gang,
I send love. As I read this I wrote down “grasping for certainty” and “what am I confirming unawares”, two strong and far reaching statements that landed strongly for me and took me a few steps further down the road to recovery. Thank you for writing from the heart. With much appreciation.
pleasure is all mine thanx for sharing
Love to you, Collette…and little Ollie. He is in my daily prayers. Unfortunately, my Lucky, 14 yrs. old, diabetic, heart condition etc. (at that age) was not doing well the last little while. He was always my Happy go Lucky till the last few mos. He was a dog my dad rescued and at dad’s death I took him home. All but one of my furry babies were lost/rescued and all were such a blessing to my life. Sooo, it was very hard to accept that Lucky was ready to “go home”. I prayed for guidance to make the right decision at the right time….the very next day as I was ready to go out the door on an errand he had a seizure, took him to the vet and and stayed with him to comfort him on his journey. We were no longer able to control his sugar properly and he was unable to control himself and would lose it before he’d make the door. He refused to learn the puppy pad thing. I am fortunate though as I took in another little poodle a year ago New Year’s who needed a home. He’s old, too, but so am I. Still learning….got my cards a couple of days ago and can’t believe how accurate they are. Collette, it must be so hard to be there for all of us as you are and still deal with the possibility of losing your little Ollie. God bless you for that!
Love and hugs to you and your fur baby.
its my pleasure.. and what I am born to do! sorry for your loss I had a Maltese with diabetes I had to release to the Rainbow Bridge- its never easy. Olli is a happy little girl today so I am just remaining in the present moment, grateful for all of it.
Wow, the power and Light of Ollie! I could feel her beautiful energy in the picture you provided here. I think you should write a book about the spiritual teachings of Ollie. Ollie is receiving what we would all like to receive if we were facing a life altering illness…swaddled and bathed in love, bringing people together in support, communication on an honest and compassionate level, held in prayer for our highest good, given kindness and empathy to help heal our heart and physical body, and told we have made a difference. What Ollie is giving to you, and all of us, is immeasurable. This entire discussion is about her and how her present state of being triggers emotions/fears/old patterns in all of us. She has elevated our consciousness. Thank you, Ollie, for being you. I send many blessings and Light to you, Marc and all of your fur babies. xoxoxo
wow Terri this is so true and yes I have thought of it.. The Tao of Olli. 😉 I use my blog as a teaching tool, a way for all of us to share our own journeys where we get to share our thoughts about the topic of the week. The past month or so my focus has been on what I’m learning as Olli’s guardian. It’s been pretty amazing to think how her little life has made an impact on so many people. 😉
Morning Colette,
I felt the need to reply since I had an interesting night. My connection with spirit is through my inner and outer sight. In my prayers last night I spoke of you and Olli and wanted to know if complete healing could be given to Olli because she is a perfect being and does not need to learn anything. And, I said that Colette has already learned so many lessons from Olli that could they stay together for years to come. A short time later I photographed a white Light, tinged with gold, descending in front of me. My prayer had been heard, but what was the message from the Light? Then I had a vision that you, me and Marc were climbing a mountain in full gear…helmets, jackets, boots and thrusting our axes into the mountain as we ascended higher. I was told that we are all climbing the spiritual mountain and suited up with our physical armer, but we need to drop the armer. The Light workers that are here on the planet now, and have the connection with mother nature and animals, are self healing through nature and the animals. Your vibration matches Olli’s and together you are altering your energetic structure for your highest good. And, the willingness to give your heart to each sick animal that comes into your life, with full knowledge that your heart may be broken, is a small price to pay for the immeasurable gift of healing, love and joy they give to you. xoxoxo
what a beautiful share thank you so much Terri
Colette,
Thank you for this sharing. I have lived my entire life chasing for certainty – whether I am chasing the extreme positive or negative outcome.
I am practising living in the moment and allowing life to flow as it is without doing everything in my power (or not) to control it.
All the best to you and Olli.
XOXO, Sharon
I just wanted to thank you for this article and your messages. This message and last weeks really resonated with me. Thanks for being the source of so much wisdom, healing, and guidance. Many Blessings for all the fellow readers above, all your readers, for little Olli and of course to you as well, Colette. Thank you for giving so much 🙂
Well said Colette, I am so grateful you share all you do. I find it uncanny how things happen in your life that are mirrored in mine. Like last week/ blog I too had recurring back issues that popped up seemingly out of no where, challenging my emotional stability,.. as health issues can. It wasn’t until I stopped resisting,.. when I relax rested and read your blog lol (not trying to suck up ..it really happened that way) that’s when I found some peace. As for this weeks Pollyanna VS Chicken lil …me too me too again. I use to bury my loved ones every time they left my sight,.. I though it better to be prepared,.. “think of the worst hope for the best”. That’s what Mom always said. Grasping for certainty rather than being present, thanks, I really didn’t see it. I think I was busy justifying it. It reminds me of the saying “The Past is History, the Future a Mystery, the Gift is in the Present” Again thank you, I grow so much with your posts. Peace to you and yours always <3<3<3 K:)
follow up to my earlier comment. YES we can get it in canada. I am in canada and we have a HUGE MMJ advocacy. email me anytime or find me on FB and i will share the archived precedent. I have rescued, horses, dogs, cats and birds and bunnies so I truly understand your emotion and love ♥
I will reach out via email thanx !
What an outpouring of responses – this is a subject that touches so close to so many of us. Our pets choose us as much as we choose them. Just as two magnets – two northern poles or two southern poles will push away – ultimately there is a spin so the magnets find their way to North pull to South connect. We rescuers would take them all home, but we can’t. The one that needs you the most finds “what you need the most” and takes you home—-haha. They remind us of the things we forget the most—-staying in the present—-there is no control except to accept the moment we are given. Live it, love it and always remember it.
Hi Colette. I get the sense that this is all bundled into a message for you that being in the present is not just trying to live each day “in the now”. It takes work, and if you don’t work at it, you will never be challenged and if you are not challenged you will not continue to grow (in that direction). That is why Olli is here in your life, and that is why Olli’s situation keeps changing. It’s to remind you that (in your words today), “What is dangerous is the strident need for certainty that prevents us from tuning into the truth that we are both the shaped and the shaper, and we don’t always know which one we are when our humanness takes over and long rehearsed emotions run high.”
I feel you are starting to become objective about Olli and his situation and what he’s here to teach you. This is good. I hope this all makes sense.
I have never felt high running emotions when someone dies or when I see a dead person (apart from when I touched my Dad’s coffin at his funeral). I have always seen this as cynical behaviour on my part, and I don’t really know how to deal with it, It just is what it is.
The Ho’oponopono prayer is awesome!
I think you are on the right path with this one. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your guidance in the past! Hugs xxxx
Illness facilitates change – the desire to reach a higher vibrational status.
Is the person who “always adopted sick pets” simply inviting change to master the art of “adaptation to change?” ⛵️
Blessings.
Bree
interesting.. will contemplate and likely so!
Dear Colette, thank you as always for your timely messages. Sending you comfort, and sending dear Olli healing and peace. No matter what happens, have the knowledge that he knows he is dearly loved, and that you make his life happy and as comfortable as possible. I have a 14-year-old cat who, four years ago, suddenly lost half of his weight (he had been a big 16 pound baby boy, and this was quite startling.) He also became ravenous. We have had every test imaginable done, and no one can find a reason. The vet always says that he may have some sort of cancer, because they can find nothing else wrong. Of course, this flattened me at the time, and then, I decided that if there was nothing to be done, I would just enjoy the time he has left. Now, four years later, everything is the same. He’s my little bony boy, and he’s still ravenous (we have to feed him four or five times a day); and still, no one can find anything wrong. So I just treat every moment with him as a gift. I used to work as the administrative assistant in a Hospice office, and what I learned was, when dealing with the terminally ill, we make them comfortable, we make them know that they are loved, and we treat every moment as a gift. I think that’s a good way to treat any person, or any pet, whether they are sick or not. I found your card readings especially relevant, as this is Imbolc, the time of new beginnings and fresh starts. Blessings to you, to Olli, to your husband, and to all of your furbabies as we go forward with every day as a gift from Spirit. *hugs*
big love back at you 😉
My heart is touched by your words, so true.
It is no easy thing to experience illness and loss of those you love. But the experience is always about your soul learning and completing the virtues you came to learn and/or complete…Releasing unconcious programs that no longer serve you and replacing with the positive teachings….and through it somehow getting from A to B…And even tho you know this is what it is about…it isn’t a fun journey during the trip. Sending love, healing energy and prayers to you, your family and especially Olli..Thanks for sharing…always grateful for you and your gifts you share!!
Colette, I always love your blog–even though I seem to remember it early Monday morning (too early!) and then Wednesday. I heard on Darren Weissman’s Infinite Love and Gratitude show (back when it was on Hay House Radio) about the vaccine problem. It’s a reaction or maybe the holistic vet/guest called it a virus, that stays in their little bodies, and there is some supplement or drops you can give dogs and cats to help. Maybe you know Darren and can ask? I looked on my computer but I can’t find it in all my documents, sorry! But I wanted to pass on that little bit anyway.
As for chicken little, I find myself this past week thinking about Foreboding Joy, as Brene Brown calls it: when you think about something wonderful in your life and at the same time, fear losing it. I’ve been working on this, so your blog hit home, as it often does. Thank you for sharing your journey!
Sending healing energy for Olli-and you!
Namaste!
Dearest Colette,
Oh how I know what process your brain was shifting upon you. I have a cat named Athena. She’s in good health but she will turn 16 at the end of February. Sometimes I find my brain projecting there’s not a lot of time left mentality and then I catch myself and tell myself to forget that crap! Just enjoy the moment. The thing about cats and dogs and actually most animals is that they will feel wherever you are. If you are happy, then they will be happy alongside you and so on and so forth. But I’ve learned, if I’m down about them and what may happen they get sad to. But for me being sad, which makes me all the more sadder that I even made them feel that lol. That alone has been the lesson to make me realize that spirit continues and all I have to be is present, happy, joyful and grateful that I was brought together with such absolutely amazing spirits. And the wondering and the projecting? It all falls away. I feel Olli is going to be just fine and even better the more happy you are, the less worry you have of what may come. Be in the moment and that is what Olli will take from the moment. Mommy is happy! Yay! Be well you beautiful soul and kiss that little cupcake for me 🙂 Best, Courtney =^..^=
xoxox
Also want to add that heartbreak tends to open our hearts more because we are more vulnerable in those times. So perhaps you adopt sick pets both because you have empathy and compassion but also they are opening your heart through the situation more then you know.
Hi Colette,
I really needed this forecast and your article about Ollie. It has helped me to realize that we are all going through emotions and situations which help us to grow. I always feel so caotic when I’m feeling emotions and have to remind myself that it’s ok to feel.
I’ve been plagued by my past resurfacing and derailing the progress I’ve made healing and overcoming my limiting beliefs.
I’ve been asking the universe questions for a few days and now they’ve all been answered by reading about you and your life. I love how spirit does that.
I realize now I’ve been keeping myself stuck because of fear and fear of the unknown and am I going to fail like the last time. I’ve been remembering all the failures and focussing on them and this is making me even more fearful. Ice been chicken little running around with limiting beliefs instead of overcoming those fears and realizing that I can cover are my life and live from my heart, my higher power/being/spirit.
Thank you for sharing your personal journey. You have helped me to finally break out of my chicken little fearful state and now I’m feeling so grateful, less stressed and at ease.
Thank you, love you and so grateful for your weekly readings. I love the Hawaiian poem. I’m going to add that to my compilations of uplifting ‘advice on life’ book. It helps to read these things whenever I’m down and feeling lost.
I’m so glad Ollie is stable and so spoiled. I also have a rescue dog named Hailey and she is my life. She is the third dog in my life now after rescuing two cats before that. I love animals and have no kids, only fur babies so far.
thanx for joining in the convo.. big hug to you we do this together!
Hello all,
The synchronicity of your blog is amazing…thank you for being such a light and expressing yourself so well. For the last few weeks I have been doing this prayer (pulled it out of the tool box and dusted it off) and it really works like a miracle. I pray it until I no longer feel sad or angry, etc.
I realized…again…Of course I am still gonna be repeating the same story, since I keep thinking and speaking and feeling like that is THE ONLY story I can tell. How many times do I have to have this AHA??!!! I mean really, I’m a grown girl, how can I keep forgetting???!!! So, Thank You for reminding me about changing my belief…when I experiment and change the story when anyone asks me how it going, I DO notice the story changes for the better. Instead of the complaining about “what is” I “fake it until I make it”. I co-create with the Universe a prettier picture and that is what shows up. Now Universe, please help me remember this daily, moment to moment so that I may step into a brighter future.
Blessings for all of us. Love and light for you all. I pray you may have peace in your acceptance of what it.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND YOUR FUR BABIES…
thanx for sharing xoxox
Colette, it has been a crazy week like yours. I have a foster dog who has been through a lot and last week had his eye removed. In the last few days he started yelping and I had to take him back to vet today. He wouldn’t eat nor would he take meds by mouth. He yelped when I tried to open his mouth. I read this blog late but just before I took him in. Thank you!! I was doing the exact same thing. After reading this it was much easier to be detached and live in the moment and do my best to help him in the present and not project on the future. So, thank you! Thank you!!
He got an injection of pain meds and actually ate dinner with some antibiotics. Things are looking better. 🙂
sending big love for his recovery
Much love to you and all your fur babies Colette. I do so enjoy watching them on your lap. We had to put our little Pomeranian down this year. She was a puppy mill survivor. We adopted her 13 years ago, but poor birth conditions resulted in a shortened life span. She had congestive heart failure, and although we were able to keep her going for almost 3 years with lots of medications and supplements, in the end she went from 6 pounds down to 3.5 and we knew it was time to let her go. She couldn’t even hardly stand up on her own. Prayers for your little one that he will have a full recovery and you will have many more years together. ((hugs!))
thanx Renee