We had a springtime blizzard here in Durango, Colorado this morning. I was walking my dogs in the early hours, marveling at the paradox of birds singing and crocus blooming with the almost horizontally pelting snow. The red cliffs are adorned once again with their white “petticoats,” perhaps for the last time until next winter.
Rounding the corner, we came upon a herd of forty elk grazing in the neighborhood. My dog Rory got excited immediately, his instincts kicked into overdrive. Rory and my other dog, Imp, are Samoyeds, and Samoyeds were originally bred to herd reindeer. This sure looked like a fine herd of reindeer to Rory!
“The Girls” (elk) were on guard and jittery as soon as they saw us. I tried to reassure them that we meant them no harm, but within a few minutes they took off, coming to rest a ways further down the road. I heard dogs barking there, and The Girls took off again, this time landing in the school play yard. They were snorting and stamping about, ready to run again. But they were also unwilling to leave the area entirely.
When it was Imp’s turn for a walk, the elk were back on our path, then skittered away again. I thought about how hard and frightening it must be for them, always having to be on guard, and feeling chased out of every resting spot. Long before me, my dogs, the neighborhood and the school were here, the elk were here, yet it is the elk who seem out of place now, sadly. It occurred to me how powerful the elk’s instinct and desire to be here in this valley must be. They MUST be here. That is why they put themselves in these frightening and dangerous situations – they simply are doing what they must.
Similarly, my dogs are hard wired to want to herd these elk, and it is only the leash, collar and my strength that prevents it. While they are well trained champions, instinct overwhelms their training and my requests. They simply must do what they have been bred to do. A mother dog somehow knows when she gives birth that she must remove the puppy’s sac, lick the pup to stimulate him and get him to nurse. She must do these things.
The clients I work with are evolved, intelligent individuals, committed to personal and professional growth. Yet I hear from many of them uncertainty as to what their highest purpose is – what they were made for, what they must do. This is amplified many times over in the public at large. I wonder if this is because we have become so disconnected from our hearts, our intuition, our natural world? We are very adept at reasoning things out, but not so strong at “knowing” without facts and figures. This strikes me as a loss, because I feel certain we have lost some of the capabilities our ancestors possessed in this realm.
What must you do while you are here? We have such an overwhelming number of choices available, how does one choose? What are you made for? Chances are, you are made for a number of things, and your level of fulfillment will depend on how soon you discover and pursue these things. What instincts do you have that have perhaps not been fully heard by you?
When I ask myself this question, the answers I come up with are: be in friendship, have dogs, play, appreciate beauty, connect, learn, be near nature, and write. And maybe, eat chocolate. J
How do you find out, if you’re not clear? The ways in which I help my clients discover their “musts” are by clarifying the following: values (what we want to design our life around), needs (what drives us), talents (your unique gifts), visioning (declaring what you want your future to look like) and experimenting (finding out what makes you feel most alive). Working with a good coach can make this process of discovery fun, exciting and progressive.
So, what must YOU do? Email me and let me know!
