Conversations With Dog: October 2011

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Seek and You Shall Find

I was thrilled to have spent this past weekend with my new little buddy, a shi tzu pup named Seeker.

Seeker reminded me on Friday night, when I nearly succumbed to a panic attack, that dogs tie with laughter for the title of "best medicine". And to those top contenders, I would add MOVEMENT. Such is why a simple walk with a dog can help in even the most bottomless of situations.

For those who experience panic attacks, you know what I mean when I refer to that awful "rising heat" within the mind and body, that expands and spirals out of control as a completely irrational - and all powerful - fear takes hold. I had never had a panic attack before this year. Now, I have been "blessed" with one that knocked me out cold, and a couple of close calls since then. After passing out on that infamous night in April, when I learned from the inside out how anxiety manifests itself physically, I remember feeling an IMMEDIATE rise in my (dangerously low) blood pressure the minute Kili - the King Charles spaniel to whom I am a live-in Auntie - climbed intently onto my chest, and proceeded to heal me with a dose of her pure and potent puppy love.

On Friday night, when I felt that dreaded heat rising, Seeker and I took off on a super-charged night walk. We powered around the neighborhood, pursuing the rhythm of breath, our synchronized steps, and collective, instinctual drive to migrate - dog and human, side by side. Thanks to the calming and empowering effect of our midnight journey, I was able to breathe, where only moments before an oppressive terror had nearly suffocated me. Not only do dogs have the power to make us feel better when we are down; their energy is a remedy to which no other tonic compares.

* * *
Saturday was the world-famous Ironman Triathlon in Kona - which inundates the island every October. Many people avoid town at all costs on race day. But I always head down and marvel at the spectacle as it moves through the streets and past our neighborhood's main intersection. In honor of the elite athleticism going on all around us, Seeker and I stayed active most of the day. In the early morning, we hit Keauhou Bay, where Seeker discovered the joy of playing in waves, and reveled in his very first SWIM! After that, we enjoyed a late morning nap, (a luxury none of the triathletes got to indulge in). In the afternoon, we walked a handful of miles alongside the race course on Alii drive, stopping at Kahaluu for more beach fun at dusk.

While Seeker and I may not have competed in a world-renown triathlon, we engaged in a full, fun and FRISKY FIT weekend together. And in the event of my mental and spiritual "endurance challenge", Seeker was my race partner, and my little champion.