Managing Safety, Security, Survival

In one sense, the core to studying and acquiring consciousness is the repetition of stepping away from being ruled by the old brain, the brain parts that kept us alive aeons ago and wired us accordingly. Yes, we still have vestiges of fear- and survival-based wiring for good reason! But we also have a lot of slop in there sloshing around, muddying the waters of clear thinking and more usefully, clear acting.I'm six months into a remodel at my home. It required me to move into two bedrooms and a hallway. One bedroom is where I sleep and have my desk. The other room still functions as a guest room and also features my sofa and TV. The hallway hosts the fridge and a tall metal shelving unit that contains my pantry, a toaster oven, some food and dishes, and a kettle. My hot plate is in the garage. The bathroom serves also as the kitchen sink and the laundry room — just enough space to have the washer. I dry outside when I can; otherwise the dryer also lives in the garage. Not that you needed all those details, but sometimes painting a picture is fun!Outside, I built a crude fence so my dog, Mama Sita has a playground. It abuts a small patio that has ingress and egress on both sides. But I never figured out a good way to secure it. It's had garbage cans, patio furniture, and planters serving as a wall and a gate. It was barely functional and a hassle, then, the dog learned how to jump over the planters. She has runaway many times. I find it incredibly stressful and time-consuming to retrieve her.It got to the point that I had to check on her every five minutes or so — the amount of time for her to escape and still be within shouting distance to get back home. Usually she did, but not always. Her escapades lasted up to 30 minutes at times.So these past two weekends I finally had a friend build a design I came up with that consists of a tall planter box attached to a gate that attaches to a pillar on the edge of the patio. I didn't want to screw into the wall of the house, and the planters accomplish that for me. Soon, I'll be growing my dinner salad in them!What I didn't expect, and I am finally getting to the point, is how relieved my body was once it was installed! I had been carrying this low-grade anxiety throughout my system, a fear for the safety, security, and survival of my pup! We have coyotes in the neighborhood, even a den on the side of the dirt drive, and they walk by frequently. She knows they are foe but she loves to bark and approach them! One to one, she can hold her own but she wouldn't make it if they arrived in a pack.So yeah, I'm regretting not taking the time and expense to get this security gate built and installed sooner.

The barely conscious mind loves to preach:

1. It's not that big a deal.
2. The remodel will be done in a few months and she can return to her other gated area then.
3. You have more important things to handle right now.
4. It's going to take a lot of effort to find someone to build it.
5. You can handle it!
6. ETC.

All of which sound so lame now, after the fact. And what I haven't mentioned yet, is HOW GORGEOUS it is and how effortlessly the gate works! This has brought me JOY! I can use the furniture as furniture — a place to sit in the afternoon sun, instead of leaning it on its side as a dog obstacle.So, the takeaway is to listen to the voice inside. Let the three S's have their say when it makes sense and let joy flood in to replace all the irritation and stress I was carrying needlessly. What things in your life do you trip over almost daily that you could solve and receive joy in the place of irritation? I'm sure they exist. And I'm sure it's worth the effort.