Dog Psalm #23

With my actions everyday, and by being my truest self, 

I am a conduit of possibility for others. 

Just by living the best life I can,

the kindest, the most compassionate, 

I have done something 

to sustain and illuminate a path to freedom.

Illuminate your path.

Ode to the Cookie Jar

Now I get a cookie because I've been so good.

Now I get a cookie they way you know I should.

Now I get a cookie I get one every time.

Now I get a cookie because I am so fine.

Now go get me a cookie or I will stamp my feet.

I'd like a cookie first or my dinner I won't eat.

With stubbornness and sweetness 

is how I demand my treats.

Elephant in the living room

Hey. What the...

Does anyone else see this?

Well, if it smells like an elephant it must be an elephant.
I thought it would be larger. Go figure.

Excuse me, are we going to talk about it 

or just keep it?

Dog Psalm #22

My Friend Buddha said:

"The thought manifests as the word;

The word manifests as the deed;

The deed develops into habit;

and habit hardens into character.

So watch the thought and its ways with care,

And let it spring from love

Born out of concern for all beings."

This I try to practice every day, again and again

with an abundance of self forgiveness 

for my many frailties and failings.

This is how I make my peace.

Snow Day

Another snow bound day.

It's best to dream away the afternoon

and use my power of imagination

to summon Spring

the cheerful crocus and the tender shoots of new grass.

Soon...soon.

Call Me Brad

What's in a name?
Memory and identity.
Bailey was a name that I outgrew.

So you can call me Brad. Or you can call me Bradley.
You can call me Bad Brad cause I know you'll always love me.
You can call me Barkley because we all know I do.
Just don't call me late for dinner.

Dog Psalm #21

There is a power in me that's greater than the small self I've been accustomed to; it's larger than the way I've been trained to think about who I am. It's my soul self. In cooperating with it I surrender to a part of me that carries wisdom and truth. It brings me back into harmony and balance with myself. This is my spirituality: an internal guide and inner knowing. 

God dwells in me, as me. 

This I believe.

Blizzard

We got Sneaky Snow. 

Those tiny flakes that you barely notice at first 

and then unexpectedly while your snoozing on the couch

they turn into a white-out.

This is the kind of snow that creeps in on cat feet.

If you listen closely you can hear those little snowy feet.

 I like to search for those first flakes
that got the whole thing going
and then wear them on my muzzle.

When the snow is up to your ears
you need someone to shovel you a trail.

Keep shoveling!

I like a nice long walk and 

plenty of room for my desires.

Where I've Been

The first stop was Italy.
I thought I should really expand my culinary horizons.
There might be more to life than kibble at every meal.
But even if its kibble I eat with gusto.

You can't see the kibble (if you did you might want me to share)
but you can see from the blur of my fur my passionate appetite.
I thought - things would be even tastier in Italy.
Who cares if I had to buy bigger jeans. I don't even wear jeans.

Then off to India. Land of a million faces. 

A place with dedicated spaces where you are supposed to
be quiet and think your thoughts. Investigate the emptiness of your mind.
That is something I could do. I practice that practice at home.

Except when I have an itch I scratch it.
And if I see a fly I hunt it down and kill it.
I've got a ways to go with 'loving kindess' towards all beings.
So some time in India seemed like a good thing.

What does one want
in the after glow of meditation and enlightenment? 

A romping good time in Bali.

Why not indulge the lure of sand and surf? Money is no object.
Sand feels so good beneath my paws. 

A randy good time with new people is immensely appealing.
I won't have to sneak in a hump or two. I'll love with abandon when and where I feel like it
with people I may meet once or just a few times. 

All is good. Everything is transitory. I don't cling. I just enjoy.

My itinerary may sound vaguely familiar.

All I can tell you is that's how 2010 played itself out for me.

Dog Psalm #20

I reside along side The Great Spirit.

Sunday Mountain is our abode.

The sky is our window on heaven.

Grace is the snow that sparkles beneath our feet.

In the solace of silence faith is recovered.

I'm Back!

It's a new year and I now live in a new location. 

No longer a city dog I'm a rough and tumble country dog 

who rambles dirt roads, encounters bears, 

follows deer trails, and finely discerns scat. 

I hunt black flies and lady bugs. 

I adore a labrador named Dudley. 

I've traded in sidewalks and curbs for 

rock walls and donkey paths.

 I've never seen a sky so blue

 or heard so much in silence.

I'm happy to be here in this New Year

and so happy you came too.