Lughnasa and the Cheshbon Nefesh Moon

Sunday gratefuls: Shadow’s return. Luke’s help. Leo’s, too. Rain. Hail. Cool morning. Morning darkness. Elul. Cheshbon Nefesh. Torah. Re’eh. Talmud Torah. Nefesh. Ruach. Neshama. Soul work. Fear. Love. Marina. Ana. Furball Cleaning. The harvest season. Combines and Corn Pickers. Regenerative Farming. Organics. Soil. Land Institute. Aldo Leopold Foundation. Wendell Berry.

Sparks of Joy and Awe: Shadow’s Home

Year Kavannah: Wu Wei

Week Kavannah: Rodef Shalom. The desire to generate well-being for ourselves and others.

Tarot: Knight of Vessels, Eel

One brief shining: Shadow slipped out the front door when I helped Luke carry his stuff to the car, but, calling her back inside did not work this time; instead she headed for the road, I learned, again, the close bond between love and fear.

 

Dog journal: As the afternoon’s monsoon rain began to pelt down, I tried to get Shadow away from the road. As Natalie has observed, her first and last instinct is flight. Luke helped, the rain continued.

As she wandered sniffing, exploring through Jude’s yard filled with Jeep and Willy’s parts, a transmission here with the shifters connected to a long shaft but lying on the ground, Elk skeletons, old wooden pallets, discarded lumber, a barbecue grill with one glove resting on the top, a shipping container, a wagon, a fancy camper, I followed her. Fear for her safety overriding my sense of boundaries.

Shadow picked up an Elk Bone. She slowed. I tried for her collar. She ran. I know. I know. Reaching toward her makes her flinch, run, flee. I lost my mind for a while. Tried to catch her.

Her path led us out of Jude’s yard and into the neighbor’s behind me. Where the earth movers have been at work. Piles of Root filled Earth. Shadow disappearing over one of them.

Back along the fence toward an even further neighbor’s property. Luke headed her off. We pushed her toward my fence. She went. Turning the corner by the garage, Shadow ran toward the front door and inside! Ten minutes, maybe fifteen, in the Rain. Which stopped as I closed the front door and the gate I had opened for her.

Oh, Shadow. None of the commands worked. She was too stressed. So was I. The Rain. Trekking through Jude’s many obsessions. My rear neighbor leaning out the window, wondering what was going on. My dog escaped. You’re all good.

What a time.

 

Just a moment: Luke, I believe, has found his niche. Professor Luke. Teaching chemistry. To Dental Hygienist’s to be. And to future workers in Colorado’s Cannabis industry.

He rides the light rail nine minutes, makes a short walk to the Auraria campus to his office (yes, he has an office. With a window).

He’s an academic, back inside the loving arms of alma mater. No one tells him what to do. He’s allowed to use his own considerable learning and teaching experience.

I’m so happy for him. He’s got a good heart, an amazing array of talents, and has needed, as long as I’ve known him, a place to work that fits him. I believe he’s found it.