Predators Released and Tech Troubles During a LIVE Talk

It has been an interesting 18 hours! 

(Note: description of predators’ habits included. This is my life… no varnish.)

It started with a beautiful day yesterday. Unseasonably warm. I was sitting on the deck doing some work. When a hawk flew into a tree close by.

The Red-shouldered hawk was so close I could almost make out individual feathers on her chest.

I see hawks fairly regularly- they’re omens of personal power, courage, wisdom, and guardianship. I hear them even more often. They tend to show when something significant is shifting. Right now?  I’m giving a live talk tomorrow.

She was clearly hunting, tilting her head to hear the movement in the leaf litter. We sat together for a long time. Then she flew to the forest floor, grabbed her dinner and soared into the high branches of a tree to feast.

I am always honored- slightly breathless- when I see them. But seeing one in action, sharing her world with me- that’s another level. She knew I was there; I was talking to her. (Yes, out loud.)

Hawks remind me I am never alone. That my guides, my dragons, my angels are always with me. They confirm I am moving in the right direction and bring a deep, profound peace.

(I am sitting on my deck now. A pair of hawks is circling overhead and calling. You can’t make this shit up!)

After she left, I let the dogs out to play.

Pepper, the fun-loving, always looking for a good time Chihuahua mix, was snuffling around in the tree litter when he started digging furiously. Digging is not an approved activity, and I almost jumped up to stop him- until his digging took on a decidedly determined shift.

He jumped back with a live mole in his mouth.

This is not the first time Pepper has caught a mole. They’re abundant in our yard, and my husband is constantly trying to persuade them to relocate.

I had a choice:

I could try to get the mole away from him (which would have resulted chasing Pepper around the yard until one of us gave up)…

Or I could let him be in his instincts, give thanks to the Universe for another raw display of nature, and grit my teeth.

I decided to grit my teeth.

There’s something oddly beautiful about watching a predator in its element. Pepper plays with the moles until he gets bored. Akila, the Basenji dog, was bred to hunt small game. She shadowed him closely, and when he dropped the mole, and it tried to scoot away, she pounced.

Akila is rarely in “predator mode”. She’s my princess and usually behaves accordingly. But to see her instincts take over- that primal presence- was a gift.

Eventually, Pepper got the mole back and tired of it (they play dead when caught). When he wandered off, Akila’s stepped in. Her inner hunter took over. She killed the mole and was thinking about eating it when I scooped it up.

The dogs got a treat for being the mighty backyard predators.

(Nothing goes to waste. I placed the mole on a rock in an area I’ve seen hawks, crows, and vultures scavange.)

Both the hawk and the mole appeared within one short hour. I witnessed life and death, predators and prey, domestic and instinctual behaviour- right in my own backyard. No national ark required.

The experience left me with a greater respect for the daily rhythm of the wild… for the sacred gifts our domesticated companions still hold, and for the miracle of my own life.

One moment, I’m using technology to reach people across the world-

The next, I am a micro-part of nature’s ancient, ongoing dance.

Fast-forward 18 hours. I’m in my office, giving a Facebook Live talk. I’m part of a summit, and all of the talks are delivered live.

Except mine.

The first 8 seconds went through- then the connection dropped.

Facebook neglected to tell me this. So I gave the entire talk as if it were live. Since I wasn’t watching the comments closely, I didn’t realize no one could see me.

Afterward, I learned that a few kind souls had shown up just to hear me! (SO GRATEFUL!). But they only saw 8 seconds of me settling into my chair.

Tech happens!

The host, Jess Turitz, was very kind and offered me a time later today to go live again. I get a do-over.  

And I’m happy about it! I love this talk- Banish Hustle, Build Your Business with Heart- so I don’t mind sharing it twice.

If you’re reading this after 2:00 PM ET on Wednesday, 7 January (and most of you are) you can catch the replay inside the New Era Fest for Feminine Entrepreneurs. There are also a bunch of other great topics on the page. Oh, and it’s FR#E.

Wishing you grounding, insight, and grace in every wild moment.