Dragonfly Wishes and Puppy Dog Kisses

Monday night a dragonfly made its way into my living room. My cat Karma went crazy, started chasing it, but thankfully the dragonfly was elusive, hiding in the ceiling fan. When I woke up yesterday, the dragonfly was on the wall and I was able to get him back outside and it flew away.

Sometimes I would like to fly away. I often have dreams where I can fly – it’s almost like swimming in the sky. Those who interpret dreams say “Dreams about flying generally represent some form of release from mental or emotional strain or tension in some part of your life. This could be anything that has been bothering you such as a stressful situation at work, tension in a relationship, problems at home, etc.”

Dragonflies are a symbol of change and transformation. When I was on my summer adventure in New Braunfels, there were dozens of them swarming over the river and landing next to me on the rocks.

A sign? Did I need to make some changes? I thought about that a lot while the sun baked my shoulders that afternoon. I was in such a rut and the only difference between a rut and a grave is a few feet. I told myself when I got back home I was going to do things differently, that I was going to set some boundaries, make some time for myself and do the things that made me happy, once I remembered what those things were. Instead I fell into the same old routine.

Was the dragonfly in my house to remind me?

I choose to think it was.

As I took the dragonfly from the wall to move it to the open door, its wings fluttered frantically as it tried to resist and get away. Is that what I’ve been doing? Frantically resisting?

My dog Riley crossed the Rainbow Bridge last November. She had been my constant companion for 15 years. Losing her left a huge hole in my heart and void in my life. While Riley can never be replaced, God made our hearts are huge with room for more love. He's smart like that.

I filled out an adoption application for a puppy two weeks ago. When I saw his posted picture, “little Bear” reminded me of a St. Bernard with his coloring, and, with his huge paws, thought he would be a big dog when he grows up. It was love at first sight. While a picture is worth a thousand words, they can sometimes distort the truth. When I went to meet him, found out from the rescue staff that this sweet puppy is part Corgi, part beagle.

The puppy came to live with me yesterday – his new name is Barney Beaglejuice, Barney meaning "son of comfort" and Beaglejuice in honor of his heritage.

I’ve not had a puppy in a very long time. With his short little Corgi-ish puppy legs, he’s too tiny to navigate the stairs right now, meaning I need to take him down frequently so he learns to potty outside. While I am a morning person, getting up at 430 is early, even for me.

Having Barney is a real change.

Maybe it’s the first step.