Puppy Love
Hello!
We just bought a puppy!
He’s an Australian Cobberdog, 4 months old, super smart, mega cute and we are totally in love.
His name is Cosmo. The name came to Seneca in a dream and when your fur baby’s name is revealed in a dream, you really have no choice but to lean into it. So, Cosmo it is. Certainly, we are over the moon about our new little puppy, Cosmo.
We drove to Barcelona to pick up our new dog from the breeder. In addition to picking up the puppy, we also we required a metric ton of information and puppy equipment. So we spent a few days enjoying this beautiful city we love so much.
Sen and I actually spent part of our honeymoon in Barcelona and fell in LOVE with that town while falling deeper in love with each other. We even tried moving there last year when the world started opening up again after Covid but in the end we found ourselves happily back in France.
One of the great things Seneca and I enjoy about being non-location dependent with our jobs is that we can still meet with clients online, even when we are traveling.
Message In A Bottle
One evening while in Barcelona, Sen was meeting with a client via Zoom (she’s an incredible coach who focuses on empowering women) so that meant that Elio and I needed to spend a few hours out of the hotel room to give her some space to work.
To enjoy a little “guy time,” Elio (7) and I walked down the crowded, colorful Barcelona streets, brightly lit with Christmas decorations only to finally find ourselves arrive at the beach, virtually alone.
As we were sitting near the ocean, watching the moonlight dance in the waves, Elio started to hum the melody to “Message In A Bottle” by the Police. I was muy impressed that Elio knew this song. He said that he remembered hearing the song but couldn’t quite remember the words.
I pulled up the song on my phone and we sat there on the beach reading and singing along to the lyrics.
I’ve heard "Message In A Bottle" literally thousands of times yet that night, as Elio and I sang the entire song start to finish, aloud and full-throated, I truly heard it for the first time.
You know the song. The first verse starts out with Sting's lament, feeling “more loneliness than any man could bear,” with the chorus crying out, “I’ll send an S.O.S. to the world,” implying a hope that someone will find his message in his bottle and save him. We can all relate.
The second verse, introduces a slightly new idea:
“…Only hope can keep me together
Love can mend your life
Or love can break your heart.”
K. These lyrics are slightly ambiguous. I know he's lonely but now he's saying that he must hope. He's also taking on the double-edged sword of love; it can mend you or break you. But wait for it, cuz there's a reveal for the second verse later …
Second chorus, same, “I hope that someone gets my message in my bottle,” and I'm still thinking that he's hoping to be saved.
But it's the 3rd verse where the reveal comes and it changes everything. He says:
“Walked out this morning, I don't believe what I saw
Hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore
Seems I'm not alone at being alone
Hundred billion castaways, looking for a home.”
(Fireworks!)
Now, the chorus comes in again and what really socks it to me was how the words in the chorus stay the same but their meaning changes as the verses progress. Truly the mark of masterful lyrics.
Now, when he sings the chorus, “I’ll send out an S.O.S to the world, I hope that someone gets my message in the bottle,” he's no longer sending out a message to a deaf world to saved him but rather, he’s sending a saving message to the world, a world that is singing along with him.
He’s saying, as “I walked out this morning,” it dawned on him that we ALL feel lonely and while it's true that we all need saving, it's also true that we are all each other’s S.O.S., each other's hope.
After the third verse and the repeating choruses, the second verse is clarified. He’s saying that if you're attached to love it can hurt but love can mend a lonely heart in the act of giving, in the act of sending out a message of hope to others.
(Mind. Blown.)
And in off chance we didn't pick up on that cue, he sings, “I’m sending out an S.O.S. I’m sending out an S.O.S. I’m sending out an S.O.S.”… only about 30 or 40 times … in a row.
Again speaking to the world who is singing with him, Sting's ability to permanently implant a melody in your head is nothing short of a superpower. It’s virtually impossible not to sing along to this S.O.S chorus and as you do, you find yourself joining the rich and textured chorus, 100 billion strong, a chorus of every human as we voice the fundamental and shared truth that nobody is an island unto themselves, that we all need saving, and most importantly, that we are all … saving.… each other.
Like Alice Walker said,
“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
I’ll never forget that evening in Barcelona, Elio and I sitting on the beach together like cast aways, sharing the sting of a heartfelt moment, with each other and with the world.
I then dad-splained to Elio how this song is the message in a bottle, an S.O.S. to the world because so many people have heard it.
Elio said that the line that really landed for him was, "Looks like I'm not so alone at feeling alone," that everybody feels alone sometimes. I assured Elio that if he ever feels alone, his mother and I will always be there for him as well as so many others … including his new puppy, Cosmo.
My Message In A Bottle
So now it's my turn.
This is me sending out an S.O.S., a message in a bottle to you.
Regardless of what holidays you do or don't celebrate this time of year, I hope that your days are merry and bright and that you are surrounded by people you love.
Regardless of how alone you may or may not feel, how desperate you may or may not be, know that we are all in this together. We are all tied for first place in this journey to awakening to the truth that all is One.
Regardless of whether or not we've ever met in person, know that I'M PULLING FOR YOU!
I believe in your innate goodness and that you hold an invaluable place in the family of all things.
Love is all there is and I love you.
I’m sending out an S.O.S.
I’m sending out an S.O.S.
I’m sending out an S.O.S.
I’m sending out an S.O.S.
I’m sending out an S.O.S.
I’m sending out an S.O.S.
I’m sending out an S.O.S.
Practice With Me
Hey, we all have a job. My job is to invite us to practice being the best version of ourselves through yoga and meditation.
I invite you to join me for 3 events coming up soon that will help you to show up as your best self to kick off a new year and help lead your family, workplace, and community with the guidance of compassionate responsiveness.
End of Year Workshop
Join me as we wrap up 2022 in a perfect and meaningful way.
Together we’ll use yoga, pranayama (breathwork), journaling, and deeply relaxing meditation (Yoga Nidra) to go deep into the soil and compost all that happened in 2022 to create the fertile soil to plant what’s to come in the new year.
This will be an all-levels class, via Zoom which you can watch live or catch the replay.
You’ll want to have:
A yoga mat
A cushion (or bolster)
A blanket
A journal and pen
Eye Mask
An object that represent this past year for you
Any other way to help make this a sacred ceremony such as candles, incense, palo santo wood, photos of teachers, saints, gurus … anything to set this apart as a special event
After you register, you’ll receive a welcome email with the Zoom link and other information.
31-Day Meditation Challenge
Now is time to lay the foundation of a new year and your future with the power of a simple but consistent meditation practice.
Starting January 1st, begins my 31-day meditation Challenge. This challenge is simple, effective, and fun. Join the challenge and become a part of a global sangha (a group of meditators) as we lay the foundation for this new year and new future with a more mindful YOU, the you that will change the world by becoming the person you are destined to become.
The challenge is simple: meditate every day for 15 minutes a day in any style you wish, any time you wish. That’s it. I’ll support you with plenty of instruction, tools, and encouragement along the way, including several guided meditation practices, including Yoga Nidra, the relaxing and transformational form of guided meditation I’m so passionate about.
It costs $31 and you can opt to get your tuition back if you finish!
Self-Care Workshop with Scott Moore and Shannon Judge
Experience the joy and pleasure of exquisite self-care in this 2-hour workshop with 2 self-care experts. Tap into your inner radiance and explore how simple and necessary self-care can be.
Whether it’s quality alone time, or gathering with your girlfriends, you’ll love this workshop filled with gentle, all-levels yoga, relaxing guided meditation (Yoga Nidra), aromatherapy, self massage, journaling, tea, and a suite of decadent self-care tips to keep you feeling radiant and alive every day.
You’ll leave feeling more whole, in tune with yourself, relaxed, and joyful.