Part 3: Island Holiday Happenings - Be Still and Know

As we close out our holiday happenings series, I want to tell you about an incredibly special adventure I took on Christmas Day. Sometimes it’s the smells, the snackies, or the activity itself that makes an adventure special. On this particular day, it felt bigger than that. Don’t get me wrong—there were some pawsome smells involved, and it was a fun adventure. But on Christmas Day, I got to be part of something even bigger, even more profound. I got to really feel what it is to be still and know— to know that life is bigger than me, that I am not in control, and that I am loved. Cognitively, I’ve known these things for some time now, but it’s different to really feel them in your puppy soul. There is so much chaos in life. So much pain. So much suffering. And yet, there is also peace in the midst of it— a kind of peace that surpasses understanding. That peace met my humans and me on top of Goat Hill.

As the name "Goat Hill" implies, our Christmas Day hike included quite the climb. Let me put it this way: You go up, then up some more, then, you take a slight turn before you keep going up. As we kept climbing, I was working the whole time to trust that there really was something wonderful waiting for me at the top. My humans insisted there was (they’d been there before). I just had to trust the people I love. And I do. I trust them. So, I just kept walking.

We kept climbing for what felt like a solid three days. At least, that’s how it felt to me with all the little steps I take. As we neared the top, I started to feel a breeze. It was small at first, but it was definitely there. The more we climbed, the stronger the breeze felt.

Then, when we got to the top, the breeze was so strong it felt like I was flying. Besides the breeze, everywhere I looked, there was beauty. It was as if all the chaos of the world floated away for a moment, and I felt peace. We lingered at the top for a while. My mom even showed us her favorite meditation perch. I gave it a try, though I couldn’t quite cross my legs the way she does.

As special as the top of Goat Hill was, I’m coming to realize that the peace I felt there—the peace that settled deep down in my heart—didn’t simply come from Goat Hill itself. I think it came from stepping away from the chaos around me and venturing inward (if that makes any sense). I think I felt peace on Goat Hill because I was finally still enough to feel the peace that was already within me.

Even if your day doesn't bring a beautiful sunset or rainbow (and perhaps especially if that's not what your day brings), I hope you experience the kind of peace I felt on Christmas Day. Lord knows we need more peace in our world these days!