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Riker’s Stone
LIZ PALIKA
It had been a bad day. Clients were fussy, demanding, and short-tempered, and
I could feel myself moving in the same direction. To try to short-circuit the
bad mood I felt coming on, I called to my dogs and we went out for a walk.
Walking the dogs always calms me down and the exercise helps me control my
negative moods.
As we walked I consciously took in deep breaths of fresh air, clearing and
cleaning my lungs. I made it a point, too, to look around me; to appreciate
the new green leaves on the trees and the spring flowers. I also watched my
dogs. I take pleasure from their enjoyment of the world around us and they
make me see things I might not have otherwise seen - like the raccoon tracks
in the sand and the deer hiding in the bushes.
When we reached the riverbed, a favorite place of ours, I took off the dogs'
leashes and let them run. It's a safe place and the local animal control allows
them to run off leash here. They ran, played, and sniffed as we walked, and I
tried to keep my mind on positive things.
Unfortunately my mind kept drifting back to a few difficult customers; it just
seemed like a bad mood was going to win no matter what I tried. Every time I
felt myself begin to relax, I remembered Mrs. Harris’ outrageous demands for
more of my time and assistance and Mr. Simpson’s excuses. I love working with
people and helping them, but people can also make it very difficult to help
them. The point was to let go of them but it seemed the more I tried not to
think about them, the more I did. It was a vicious circle with no end in sight.
As I walked and tried not to think, I noticed Riker, my youngest Australian
Shepherd, sniffing in the rocks along the side of the riverbed. He appeared
to be searching for something. I called him, asking him to come to me. He
looked up at me, making eye contact, and then went back to sniffing the
rocks. Riker never ignores me so I walked towards him to see what he was
searching for.
When I was halfway to him, he picked something up and rolled
it around in his mouth and trotted towards me. He continued to roll it
around in his mouth, as if tasting it or testing it. He actually looked
quite funny!
When he got to me, he stood in front of me, again making eye contact.
Curious as to what he had and why he brought it to me, I held out my hand.
He dropped a rock in my hand. A rock?! Riker doesn't play with rocks!
Then I realized he had given me a well-worn, water-polished piece of
rose quartz. About the size of a cherry tomato, this lovely stone had been in
the water a long time; all the edges were as smooth as if it had been in a rock
tumbler. The stone was covered in dog drool but still an eye-catching stone. It
was warm from Riker's mouth but got warmer in my hand as I held it. The stone
was the pink of an early evening sunset.
It took me a moment to realize what Riker had given me. When I did, my knees
were weak and I had to sit on the ground to hug my dog. Happy that he got such a
positive response, he proceeded to crawl into my lap and lick my face.
Rose quartz is a powerful sacred stone. Even small pieces are good for
healing, but most importantly, rose quartz can calm and ease aggressive
mental turmoil.
Had Riker felt my distress? Did he realize that I really hate it when clients
affect me so strongly? Did he sense the approaching bad mood and search out this
stone to help me release it? When he rolled the stone around in his mouth was he
testing it to see if it had power? I would like to believe he was and is so
perceptive.
Today, four years later, Riker is still my best friend and we both still have
that lovely sacred rose quartz. It's here on my desk and once in a while Riker
will sniff the top of my desk to see if the stone is still where it should be. I
recharge it once in while down by the river where Riker found it, and when
clients begin to affect me, I hold the stone and think of the day Riker found it
for me. Riker and the stone are still the best
medicine for me.
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