Through his contradictory actions, Wishbone is trying to tell Ann that she's putting out contradictory messages to her world. Also, because Wishbone is unconsciously pushing away people he wants to be with, most likely Ann is unconsciously pushing away people she wants to be with. When I asked Ann about this pattern, she realized that she is inadvertently keeping people at a distance.

Wishbone' s offering a reflective gift to Ann. He's demonstrating to her that she's sending mixed messages to him and other people. He's showing Ann a way for her to be happier. Since Ann took Wishbone's reflection to heart and is keeping her emotions more congruent with her actions, her relationships are improving. And to her delight, when she's consistent with her messages to Wishbone, he doesn't pee on her!

Our pets offer us a gift. They show us when we're off course in reaching our life goals. We'll never get our dreams if we're out of sync with ourselves. So, it's up to us to make changes that will harmonize what we're feeling and doing. And we'll know when we're back on course because our blessed companions will stop their disharmonious behavior!

What's Your Pet's Gift for You?

Is your dog nipping at people for no apparent reason? Is your horse or parrot biting you? How about your cat clawing your arm or your furniture? Does your pet hide or run away from you? These signs might be your animal companion's way of showing you that you're angry—or afraid.

Sometimes we're not aware that we're angry. Many people don't like feeling out of control when angry feelings rumble through them. We don't like feeling angry when we'd rather be feeling loving. So, when we get angry, we unconsciously stuff our emotions. If your pet is biting or clawing you, someone else or your furniture, this reflection might indicate that you're unconsciously angry. Once you find your hidden anger and deal with it, your animal will stop biting or clawing.

At other times we might not realize we're scared. When we're afraid, we sometimes unconsciously use harsh, biting words to keep people at a distance. Or, we might unconsciously avoid people we're afraid of. These actions help us feel safe when we're scared. If your pet is snarling, biting, hiding or running away, this reflection might indicate that you're afraid and trying to protect yourself. Rather than "bite" other people or "hide" to make yourself feel secure, you might choose a more conscious and desirable way to protect yourself. And once you feel safe, your animal will stop snarling, biting, hiding or running away!

Don't Blame Messenger!

When your spunky pet gets your attention through "misbehaving," it's for your highest good! So it's to your benefit to see reflection. Your buddy is telling you that you've strayed from living in a way that will make you happy.

The next time your pet "misbehaves," rather than correcting your pet, why not experiment with changing yourself? Then notice what happens. Once you harmonize your own feelings and behavior, your "pet's" behavior problem will "magically" disappear!

If you'd like to find out more about reflective relationship between people and animals, here are some books that might help. Two books by Ted Andrews, "Animal-Speak" and "Animal-Wise," show how people enrich their lives by understanding specific traits of animals. "Animal Angels," by Charlene R. Johnson and Michael Rebel, contains true tales about how animals guide people's lives back to happiness and health.

Together, Josie and I started integrating some exercises into her life. Meditation was one of them, but Josie only had very limited time available. There had to be practices she could integrate during her normal daily activities. She finally settled for two specific ways. She stopped multitasking! In an interview Maya Angelou describes how multitasking doesn’t really serve us. She was cleaning vegetables and watching her granddaughter play, when she suddenly cut her finger. Because she was doing two things at same time, her attention wasn’t fully focused on what she was doing and result was that she damaged herself physically. To become present, she put both hands under faucet and put all her attention to one thing she was now doing. She fully enjoyed feel of running water over her skin and with that she was fully present. Josie took this example to heart and made commitment to really focus on what she does, one thing at a time.

The other way that Josie uses to become fully present is from Eckhart Tolle’s book ‘Stillness Speaks’. He gives example to look at a tree and simply observe it standing. You don’t have to describe it, just look. The tree doesn’t do anything, it’s not taking action or trying to reach a goal or pretend that it’s something it is not. A tree just is. And when you observe it, you connect with that same stillness of being present. Another client told me about her experience. She said being present not only relieves tension, it’s much more personal than that. ‘Being fully present, to me, is a very personal peaceful and calming experience.’ For myself, being fully present is an incredibly intimate and vulnerable experience, but without fear of getting hurt. Fear is mostly about ‘perceiving’ painful possibilities, which are projected in future. Therefore, when you are feeling fearful, you are not being present.

Josie started using these techniques, including some other ones as well. She reported back to me a couple of weeks later. She felt more peaceful and more in control of her life. Over next few months she got very good at stopping that running old tape. This enabled her to focus on projects that had been waiting for her, one by one. It allowed her to see results, which ultimately made her feel much better about herself!

Now I am challenging you to observe your thoughts this week. Simply notice how often your mind drifts off… again and again! No more multitasking; you are then diverting your attention, which makes you really not as efficient in living as you think you are. Just pull your attention back to what you are doing at that moment. Because, whenever you notice you’re not present, in that moment you are present. Amazing how that is!