It must have been terrible for you when the black dog turned up unexpectedly to pay me a visit.
There was nothing for you to do but cry and watch as I emptied myself of myself.Frightening for both of us but it had to be done.I couldn’t save myself without destroying myself.
I needed to rest, deep rest, not depressed.
And so I quietly fell apart all day and all night all week all month all year or more.When all my parts lay before me, I alone had to decide what to put back in.
Greed,envy, anger all replaced by loving kindness and compassion.No more alcohol or mind altering substance.No sexual misconduct,no lying or taking what isn’t given.Most importantly I could not, would not cause harm to any other living creature…though I still managed to harm myself sometimes by letting discursive thoughts induce mindlessness.
So here I am.Living proof that the body is not the person.This body looks the same and behaves as bodies do but what’s inside, in consciousness,is progress,a path to peace.
The next time the black dog turns up, I will pat its head and thank it for the beautiful misery it put me through.
Ah… the black dog… Winston Churchill and I know him… far too well… nicely done
No self respecting black dog would bite Winston Churchill the pompous inbred born to rule aristocrat….. Lol
I wish I could have seen the black dog in others I associated with when they lost all self-respect and morals. When they had no interest in getting help, when they used me. I would have kept away from them. It’s true, alcoholics and drug-addicts hurt others. It’s when they seek help or go through the terrible times in order to change and better themselves that freedom can come. I applaud you for getting through it.
Wow… a lesson on Winston Churchill. What a surprise. I didn’t catch the metaphorical significance of this ferocious beast until I reached the end of your discourse. Now I see. I’m so glad he didn’t eat you up. You know, I have that problem with wolves.
Powerful work.