24 Hours

I realized something about myself this past week, which is, under my calm demeanor I can be very emotional. It is easy to maintain a calm disposition when thing are going smoothly, the test is, how do you behave when the unexpected occurs?

Last week, our dog of eight years, Bodhi, ran away for the third time since July 1. We have never worried about him leaving our country property on his own, so he is free to roam. But for some reason this summer, he developed a fear of storms. Unfortunately, this summer we have had an unusual amount storms, almost everyday there is a brief period of thunder and lightening.

The first time he ran off was July 1, he was spooked by fireworks and was returned the next day by a wonderful neighbor. The second time he ran off because of the storm, and was returned a couple of hours later by another neighbor who was afraid he would be hit by a car. We decided then to keep him at the back of the house which is gated. But then the last time he ran off he somehow escaped from the back by squeezing between the bars of the gate which were not adhered tightly.

It was a nice sunny day, then a storm sweep across the river in moments, he must have been terrified. Somehow he got out. I remember driving home as the storm came through the area, thinking, I hope my husband had brought him in the house.

I called for Bodhi as soon as I opened the door, searched the house and backyard, he was nowhere to be found. I was very upset and worried about his safety, he does not have experience with traffic. We searched the whole area, taking posters to be hung at various locals, we even went downtown to file a missing dog report at he SPCA.

My emotions went from anger, to worry, to sorrow, to acceptance. I tried to meditate but could not focus, so, I sat with my singing bowl. I held the bowl and listened to the music and felt the vibrations until it slowly calmed my spirit. 24 hours later, all I was hoping for was that if anyone kept him that they would treat him well. He is a very good matured dog.

As I was preparing for bed that night, checking all the lights and doors my eyes glimpsed a profile of a dog standing at the front door. I opened the door to find Bodhi standing there. He came home, but is silent on his adventure!