A Puppy’s Farmer Dharma
In 2020 a little ray of sunshine came into my life. How profoundly it was to affect me, I was yet to discover.
RedX, a Red Healer puppy was looking for a temporary foster home until he was ready to go to Farmer Kev’s farm to live as a working cattle dog.
I was staying on a farm, looking after calves, chooks and now…a puppy!
Oh what a bundle of joy he was as he trotted from the ute to greet me. Slobbering kisses all over my face I was instantly – and despite my reservations as I knew this was temporary – in love.
Not the love of a lover or a parent, but the love of a mother.
Having never had children or owned a dog, I can tell you that despite the puppy training, biting and concern for them running on the road, puppies are a delight.
Seeing life through the eyes of a child has given me new appreciation of the value of simple things:
• Playing with an apple as if it were a ball, then eating it afterwards.
• Sticking your nose straight into a hole without a care about being bitten.
• Biting and chewing on anything in sight.
• Learning to choose which pieces of wood are best to chew on.
• Chasing and barking at the rake.
• Meeting the chooks and learning to chase them.
• Meeting the calves and learning to bark at them.
• Getting into my phone and writing this note for me: ‘Nkgwzm’.
• Doubling in size to 35cm within two weeks.
…and now it was time to leave…
I knew the day would come and yet it was three days since he left and I was in bed unable to move. In a bad way, with acid stomach and foggy head.
Despite this, I did some research.
I picked up this book from my storage, it’s one of my favourites:
The book’s title is derived from Thick Black Theory… (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/
Thick Black theory has political implications which I won’t get into here. However this book goes far beyond politics, as it explores the ideas of the Asian mindset both professionally and spiritually.
When I first started studying Feng Shui, I was doing a lot of business in China, I read Chin-Ning’s classic to assist me with business relationships.
Now, nearly 25 years later it has helped me to remember my dharma.
“A successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one’s own path, not chasing after the dreams of others.”
So in my situation I thought firstly of the dharma of the puppy. What is his dharma? Is it to stay with me and have a nice easy life?
Or is RedX’s dharma to be what he was born to be: a working cattle dog.
At Farmer Kev’s, RedX will learn how to handle and muster cattle, and be the king of his domain.
How can I deny him his destiny?
We must allow everyone and everything to fulfill their dharma.
So RedX went off to be the best Red Healer Cattle Dog he can be.
…and I should continue my dharma to be the best Feng Shui Master I can be.
