Oliver the Racoon

Oliver the Raccoon is back tonight at my second floor dining room window. It is still a mystery to me where he (she) comes from because there is really nothing there. But he's here again. In my Animal Totem book it says Raccoon means dexterity and disguise - the master of wearing masks. And that masks are used for transformation - wearing a mask, the wearer can become something she is not, or isn't yet. They help us to change from what we are into what we want to be. That seems to be quite appropriate for me.

The book (which is called Animal-Speak: The spiritual and magical powers of creatures great and small) also says they eat anything - anything, except the carrots I left him once, which eventually rotted and got washed away with the rain. That was months ago and I haven't fed him since. There used to be a little family of them - a big mommy raccoon and four adorable kitten-sized babies that would scamper on the bit of roof there between me and the house next door. Now there is just Oliver and he comes back to visit periodically - to look at me inside the glass while he's on the outside. Always freaks my cats out and they start to growl when he comes too close to the window.

I am thinking that I'll start leaving food for him. Wonder if he'll like cat food better than carrots?

I was also feeling rather grumpy today about the things in my life that aren't the way I had in mind. I really wanted to know how to become detached from my wants & desires. Somehow the Buddhists know about detachment, but it isn't clear to me yet. Then I read in a book called Letting Go about using gratitude as a means to let go. Giving thanks for everything I have - even what I say I don't want. So I started writing and I had about two pages of things I was grateful for. And now, I'm grateful that I had two pages of stuff to be grateful about!

Specifically, I'm grateful that there is an abundance of so much in my life. I made a list a few weeks ago, as I was finishing up one contract project, of what I wanted in my next project. And then, as if by magic, a friend and previous co-worker called me and said "Julie, we need someone here who does what you do (with routers and servers and such)...etc." and basically described exactly what was on my list. The miracles never cease, and I'm grateful.

And I'm on the good side of feeling sick, although I can't go too fast yet, it looks like I'll be in good shape for more Girl Scout cookie sales on Sunday.