I wanted to post quickly, practically a drive through post. But you know, fast food is not really my style. Seriously, I don’t even eat McDonald’s. So I won’t rush through this either. Just a moment of stillness instead, turning inward…
In the silence, thoughts bubble up… Nora’s post on The Animal Within Me which invites us to consider what animal represents us and why. Responding to that post, I said my animal is the dolphin.
“Flowing through the water, leaping in the air, chattering with my friends in the pod… The dolphin isn’t a sexy, submissive animal, but we have empathy and real communication skills. We connect with and care for each other, our young, and sometimes even humans. We grieve the death of members of our pod and delight in play. When captured, I learn to respond well and obey, but I will always need some time in the deep waters of the ocean to stay connected with my self.”
I struggled a bit with what to say, since I. don’t really think of dolphins as submissive at all. So that seems a bit odd to me, given that submission is a big part of who I am. And how did Sir Jon, who is clearly a predatory wolf, capture me? It’s a mystery.
On the other hand, I don’t have to fit into a mold, so I will just let that be what it is. I wanted to be captured, so there’s that.
Dipping into silence and stillness again, KM’s new blog comes to mind. A Quirky Shambles, he calls it, and that title alone is enough to draw me to it. I think it’s a story of his rebirth and transformation, but you’ll have to read it for yourself. He has a low key, thoughtful way of writing that is easy to read and gives me food for thought.
Silence again, being still, allowing my breathing to get slower, relaxing my body, just noticing the rise and fall of my chest as I breathe in and breathe out…
“Whenever there is stillness there is the still small voice, God’s speaking from the whirlwind, nature’s old song, and dance…”
― Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters
I’m not sure I believe in God, so I often mentally replace the word God with Love, which I believe is the same – universal love, agape love, all forms of love are God.
And in the stillness of my heart, Sir Jon is there. The wolf, but also my Sir, who gifts me his dominance, feeding my submission, creating sparks and full-blown fires between us. There is so much more he does – making me feel cared for, protected, and loved – but it is easier to talk about spankings and collars and plugs and such. Odd symbols of love and connection.
I’ll carry this time, these minutes stillness, with me today. Holding love in my heart, and sharing it with you…
Olivia 
Beautiful post, my dear friend. I also had to caution myself from trying to make the animal metaphor fit too perfectly. I love your description of being a dolphin and I’ve always had the impression of you being a free spirit. I am going to follow your lead and focus on beginning this day with some mindfulness and stillness. Have a beautiful day! XOXO
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Thank you, nora, and thanks for inspiring this whole line of thought! I hope your mindful stillness got your day off to a good start! 💜
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I am reading this a day late, but I will be honest and share that my mind feels more like a mouse scurrying about this morning that it does the mindful stillness of the owl. LOL! I should probably pause my morning and do a little meditation 🙂
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Yeah, i get that!! 💜
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Beautiful description of the dolphin Olivia. It made me want to hug one lol. “The animal within”, that’s a great question and I’m not sure what I would pick. Funny, I used to have Siberian Husy dogs in a past life so love the wolf lol, but it certainly isn’t me!
The dolphin does seem to fit a lot of who you are in your work/family life. Submission is a big part if who we are, but only a part and, of course only within certain relationships of many relationships we have.
Enjoy the stillness and your full heart 😊
Hugs
Roz
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Thanks, Roz. Dolphins are magical. I definitely don’t see you as a Siberian husky! The animal that comes to mind when I think about you is – a koala bear. Don’t ask me why.
Thanks again, Roz!!
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Loved the post and appreciated the shout out. The reason that the animal analogy doesn’t fit exactly is because none of us are one thing.
As Roz mentioned in her comment, being a submissive is simply a facet of who you are. It’s of great importance, but you’re life is rich outside of it
Moments of stillness can be vital moments where we see things that the hustle and bustle obscure and we every now and again need to get to.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, because it’s a brief visit, you always provide quality.
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Thanks, KM – great point about not being all of one thing. I am lucky – my life is rich outside of submission too, and it’s good to appreciate that. Thanks for your thoughts and kind words And you’re totally welcome for the shout-out!! I enjoy your blog a lot. 💜
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Thanks for the blog link, I shall investigate.
I’m sitting here trying to figure out if there really is any animal that is submissive? I told Nora my animal is a dragonfly ( which is a bug …so lol). Maybe you’re a dolphin because being submissive makes you feel like all the things dolphins represents when you observe them, not submissiveness itself ?
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