Mariela’s Sunday Thoughts: Charlie
This past week was a week of celebrations. Grounded turned 100 days old and all I could think about is how I’ve always been this way, because my family is this way, because we come from a culture that is this way: we celebrate the small things, we cheer each other on, we throw parties over small accomplishments, we show up at our friends’ door without being announced, we share our snacks, and, whenever possible, we do things side-by-side, lending a hand without having to be asked for it. In a nutshell, we keep each other company.
This sense of community has always been prevalent at Grounded. It’s been a collaborative, generous project since its idea stage. How could we not celebrate the fact that, one hundred days later, we’ve seen friendships flourish, goods exchanged, advise given and taken, solidarity manifested, and mental, physical, and emotional support provided?
We are naturally this way - we just get distracted by our obligations or schedule and we tend to drift away from the need to lovingly offer attention, presence, and company.
Charlie, our neighbor, has been incredibly welcoming since we moved into our new house in January. From day 1 he came by our door giving us the warmest welcome. Every time he sees us, he smiles and offers us so much love it’s impossible to ignore. He stops by regularly without having to be invited. He checks in on us if a few days go by without seeing each other.
If someone gives him a present, he stops by our back door to share it with us. During the summer, he swam with us every day, without exception.
It’s not uncommon for him to happily run towards us when he sees us on the street, even if we’re far away.
For Charlie, every moment is celebratory: no act goes unnoticed, presence is a non-negotiable, and his kind, loving heart pours out as if it was impossible to contain. If Charlie is around, no one is lonely.
It’s been a busy summer for me and I was afraid I was “missing it” because of all the work that I had to take care of. So I made a little mental list of three things I wanted to do as much as possible:
1) Have dinner on our porch
2) Host at least two big get-togethers
3) Take a break at 5 pm, grab whatever book I’m reading, sit on my lawn looking at the water, juice in hand, and read for half an hour until my husband comes home.
Charlie joined me for my break every single time (unless he was out on his boat). He would see me from next door, and simply come by and sit next to me, in silence, in genuine company.
As many wonderful qualities Charlie has, he does have a thing about tidiness: being our next door neighbor (no fence between us), he doesn’t like it when we leave things outside (mostly shoes), and he generally just takes them and puts them on a pile he keeps next to his entrance. From time to time, he brings these things back. If not, we simply go and grab them, knowing we’ll find them neatly placed on his pile.
There is something really special about being greeted with pure joy, and Charlie takes this to the next level. He truly makes you feel nothing is expected. He is simply genuinely happy to see you and he understands that the moment he’s about to share with you is unique, magical, precious.
Yoga invites us to look inward so we can look outward. We start by understanding the world within us, move on to understanding the world around us and then, only if we pay enough attention and harvest enough humility, we get to see each other.
As I said earlier, we are naturally this way. We’re born being able to connect with the person in front of us. With time, if we fall victims of Maya (the master distractor), we lose track of this ability and division takes place: a disconnection so deep that convinces us that we are actually not the same.
It’s common to hear the word “Namaste” at the beginning or end of a yoga practice. This is a Sanskrit word used to humbly recognize someone else’s presence. It’s an acknowledgment of the fact that I am truly seeing you.
Charlie is pretty laud. Even though there is a good chunk of space in between our houses, we often hear him speak and sing. Every time this happen, our hearts warm up a little more: it’s a reminder that he’s there, unapologetically happy.
In a Breathe Together Yoga article, Katrina Lambert writes “By saying, “namaste,” you are affirming your choice to see others from loving consciousness rather than ego (which would have you believe you are somehow better, worse, or different than the other being). It is an active choice to see others as a whole: a ”namaste” between two yogis is a pact made to honor the highest, truest, most authentic parts of themselves and let their limitations fall away.”
Charlie is a yogi. I don’t think he’s ever practiced or been to a yoga studio (although we’ve talked about inviting him to Grounded), but he is a yogi. He understand what being good is: he’s at service, he offers his company, he offers his help (even though he usually just ends up being in the way). He is generous and he makes you feel seen.
Our days start with a little extra magic knowing that it’s very likely we’ll find Charlie sitting in front of our patio door at 7am, looking inside, waiting for us.
It’s truly heart warming to give him a good-morning hug and watch him immediately flip on his back for belly rubs.
Did I mention Charlie is a dog?
Charlie is a constant reminder of not only truly seeing someone, but making them feel seen. He embodies the meaning of Namaste. He immediately loves whoever is in front of him because he can see their essence. He prioritizes his need to celebrate your presence over fences, leashes, or commands. For Charlie, nothing is more important than a good ol’ Golden Retriever welcome party to celebrate you’re here.
A simple daily exercise prompt to connect with the meaning of Namaste:
Make it a priority to at least once every day (from now until eternity), mindfully greet someone: make them feel seen by truly celebrating they’re here - much like Charlie does, minus the barking and jumping on people - although feel free to vocally express how glad you are to see them and maybe offer a hug.
In the evening, make a mental note or journal a sentence or two about how you saw that person.
A Yoga pose to connect with gratitude: Pranamasana (mountain pose with prayer hands):
Find a quiet spot and set a timer for two minutes. Stand tall, ground yourself through all four corners of each foot and bring your hands to Anjali Mudra (prayer position, together in front of your chest). Close your eyes, take a deep breath. Picture a being that’s not you: a friend, a family member, a stranger, an animal, a plant. Observe them as you quietly breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.