Be still, resolute and focused.

Throughout my journey so far, I have stumbled and become ungrounded more than a few times. Frustrations, setbacks and lost recipes didn’t help much.

One day I was in a rush and had called my dogs into the house so I could prepare to leave. My oldest dog, Oliver, refused to comply, and I grew impatient. I walked outside and called for him to come in. Oliver sat in defiance. Again I called and he remained, resolute. I decided to walk over to Oliver and try again, however as I approached, he laid down. Standing over him, I sighed and thought to myself “Fine, if you aren’t moving, neither will I.”

And so I sat down in the grass. I looked at Oliver and he looked up at me and closed his eyes. I took a deep breath and exhaled. I could feel the warmth of the sun and the breeze blowing over my skin. The sounds of cars, thoughts of tasks and work faded away and the songs of birds filled my ears.

What Oliver had done was teach me to be still. To remain resolute and to relax. Oliver had helped me realize that I needed to stop worrying and focus on nature and the good things around me.