From the Rector…
We’ve nicknamed Charlie, our Golden Retriever rescue, the Kraken. Don’t get me wrong—he is doing beautifully and fitting in well, but at times he simply doesn’t know how to regulate his energy. He is only one and a half years old, so this is not entirely unexpected. When Cutty, also a Golden Retriever, was a puppy, we called him the “Monster Book of Monsters” when he was little. So, we knew there might be some behavioral challenges when we got Charlie.
Charlie, the Kraken, erupts at unexpected times: when the alarm goes off at 5 a.m., whenever someone walks in front of the house (especially if they are walking a dog), when we are sitting on the couch or Steve is working at his computer, when Cutty gets home from church, and sometimes just randomly. The attacks typically involve the mauling of someone’s hand or arm, lots of slobber on the other dogs’ heads, ginormous paws in the face or on the chest, and crazy zoomies in the bed, around the house, or out in the yard. Anything can set the Kraken off—scratching his chest, stroking his fur, talking sweetly to him—but the number one reason for the appearance of the Kraken is Petunia.
Petunia is the littlest Basset Hound in our house. She is also the queen of the castle. Every morning, she comes and lies on top of me for snuggles and belly rubs. I used to talk sweetly to her and get her excited about going for a morning walk, but that would put Charlie into Kraken mode. He has watched Petunia do this every morning for so long that as soon as she gets off me, he jumps on me and starts knocking me around with his big, hairy paws.
Petunia thinks this is a great game. Instead of helping me escape or lessening the energy in the bed, she stirs the Kraken up. Charlie turns his attention to her, and they immediately begin to tussle—zooming around the bed like they are in the WWE and it is WrestleMania. Steve and I redirect them outside, which usually works—if only briefly. The walk helps calm things down, but even then, Charlie has had to walk separately from the other dogs because he just can’t regulate his energy around them.
People act the same way. When chaos reigns and people are anxious or afraid, we can easily be drawn into their emotional state. We become reactive to the chaos around us instead of responding from a rational or reasonable mindset. We don’t want to be that way, but managing our energy can be challenging when we are not mindful and intentional. When someone else’s energy is bigger than ours, it is easy to get caught up in it. It takes practice to remain a calming, non-anxious presence.
Fortunately, Cutty is that presence in our home. As much as Petunia stirs the Kraken up, Cutty settles him down. Bit by bit, over time, Cutty has demonstrated to Charlie how to regulate some of his energy. When Charlie gets chaotic, Cutty simply lies down and refuses to feed his energy. Whereas early on Charlie would jump all over Cutty and bite his paws, now he often settles down and lies next to him—mimicking Cutty’s energy by lessening his own.
Cutty knows when to amp up the energy in the room and when to slow it down. He is a good teacher to Charlie simply through his example. He is a non-anxious presence, even when Petunia is trying to stir things up, and he has helped Charlie begin to mature into the good dog he truly is.
I wonder what might happen if more of us could be that kind of presence for one another and for the world around us. Perhaps what the world needs is more Cuttys and fewer Petunias—not people who stir up the Kraken with anxiety and chaos, but those who can act as a non-anxious presence, remind us of our belovedness, and help us recognize our goodness, and become more fully the children of God we are all created to be. For as much as we love Petunia, it is Cutty who brings peace and helps Charlie to become the best Golden Retriever he can be.
Light and Life,
Candice+