Sunlight, warm me up

Starlight, bring me your best dreams

Open up my world

Lots of dreams coming to me lately. I had one last night wherein I was feeding four small redtail hawks, raising them, petting them along their heads and backs, watching them grow. Many of my dreams involve animals - in fact the first dream I remember was when I was about three when our family lived in Alaska.

In the dream, I was sleeping in my bed in this little room I had off the living room of our tiny house. A polar bear came into the house and started circling around through the rooms, looking for me. I knew the bear was there and I got out of bed and began circling too, in the same direction as the bear.

We began going faster in a circle, the bear running after me; then it got to be a game. I would run faster than the bear and catch up to him. He'd see me behind him and run faster, catch up to me, and then I'd spurt ahead and catch him again, as we ran faster and faster around the circle.

This dream initiated my quest for connection with the animal and spirit world around me, continuing now some 60 years later. Animals bring meaning and significance to our world, whether cats, dogs, birds, no matter whether domestic, wild or somewhere inbetween. I've gained more from an encounter with a squirrel out in the Colorado mountains than from any number of 'workshops' designed to 'help me sort out my life'. And don't even get me started on the importance of curiosity and humor in our lives, brought to me courtesy of a certain inquisitive pine marten. Even watching the actions and interactions of the cat members of our family lead me to a broader understanding of my own interactions with coworkers, family and friends.

Bears amid boulders

each round, each brown, and each slow-

rocks slower than bears

Back home again and loving it

Cat - swift, smart, alert -

supple tail in the air

soft paw on my cheek

How I enjoy being home again! Even though I'm busy at work now, and looking to get much busier when the 2010 Medicare enrollment period begins this coming Sunday, I get to come home straightaway from work and there's my wife, Karen, waiting in the living room. There are our cats, also waiting for me, including my long-time bud Tanka. He'll be 18 years old this coming birthday in March and he's been a constant companion -- helping me make drums when we lived in Durango, rattles when we lived in Scottsdale -- and the simple pleasure of hearing his purr when he curls up into my lap brings a smile to my face every time.

Karen is still liking her job although there are some challenges. She loves getting out each day, driving to appointments, meeting new people in the course of performing her duties -- and quite frequently is able to reconnect with old friends as part of those tasks, which is a bonus.

And then we get together at the end of the day and that, for me, is the value of making this employment switch. I'll post again after the Medicare season has progressed a bit and let you know how I'm faring. I think now I'm going to get a bite of breakfast before I get to the office.

Tim

Bagels, hot and fresh

Wait just a New York minute!

Schmear, capers, lox - yum!