All You Wonderful Servants Out There

By Dr. Stew Bittman

Yes, I’ve written about this before, but there’s nothing new under the sun, or so I’ve heard. And I suppose I need to hear it again. Anyway, I’ve gone back to watching my dog a lot, and I continue to learn valuable lessons for my life as a servant. Last month, for instance, we were down at the river, which was raging and swollen with snowmelt, and Blue made it clear that he was ready, willing, and anxious to jump right in. Despite Hillary’s objections, and despite my own reservations (knowing that now and then people die in this particular river), I threw a stick. Blue leapt in after it.

Lesson #1: no fear. His first venture was scary, especially for us, as he and the stick got caught in the rapids and were both heading for some huge tree trunks until, with penultimate focus and determination (lessons #2 and 3), he caught up with it and struggled back to the near bank. Blue simply shook himself off and asked for more. Back in went the stick, and after it went Blue. But this time, he veered off at an angle, forming the hypotenuse of a right triangle, as he and stick converged on exactly the same spot at exactly the same time. A physicist armed with slide rule, protractor, stopwatch, and huge cerebral cortex, could not have done better. He proceeded to repeat this rather incredible feat of vector analysis time after time. I stood there in laughter and humbleness, thinking how trigonometry came a tad slower for me, as lesson #4 rang loud and clear in my head: Innate is on the job (AKA “down with the brain”!)

That day got me watching him again. I spoke at the local Unity Church last Sunday, and the whole thing was about Blue! He really is a master of discipline, and a master over his own bodymind. Ninety-nine percent of his diet consists of the same hard, dry, disgusting (I assume) dog food, day after day after day. No coffee to “get going” in the morning, no Ben and Jerry’s for “peace of mind”, no alcohol to “relax”. No fun of any kind. And, even tho he’s getting on in dog years, he still can poop without needing toilet paper, and can still pee like the proverbial race horse (and, when he needs to, can hold it for 12 or 14 hours until permission and opportunity is granted for release). He can fast for days without complaint, drink from any conceivable or inconceivable water source, and sit in silent vigil by the bed for hours or days when one of us is “sick” (which he never is), in addition to being able to calculate complex physics equations. He is available 24 hours a day for whatever is required of him. He thrives on exercise and attention, but never seems to suffer when neither is forthcoming, indeed, he is simply happy being alive and being himself. Regardless of circumstance, he appears to exist, nearly always, in a state of joy, presence, love, and service. A supreme servant, for sure.

With such a magnificent example of service to follow, I feel blessed. And still sometimes frustrated. My habits are not always self-loving, my discipline lapses, my loyalties waver, and my brain, being too large, still wants to figure everything out. But I continue to learn to let that go. To watch it all, and let it go, while I connect more and more with that part of me that knows only service, connection, and love. I continue to remember and celebrate the sameness that exists between myself and everyone else, and therefore to express my uniqueness in a way that serves all. I continue to gain control over my thots and my addictions, and to let go of everything else. I continue to surrender, and continue to manifest more of my power. I continue to serve, serve, serve, and I continue to manifest my dreams, as I watch others’ dreams come true. There may be nothing new under the sun, but every moment is new when I come from that place. Blue knows that, and I am learning.

Another Article Involving Blue… Enjoying Every Step

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Dr. Stew Bittman maintains a box practice in South Lake Tahoe, CA along his wife Hillary and daughter Ari. For our more “scientific” brethren: Stew Bittman graduated from LACC as Valedictorian, Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA. On the first set of National Boards he scored 4 perfect “800’s” out of 6 exams. He has a video, “The Mission of Chiropractic” that is available for purchase through Planet Chiropractic. In his video, recorded at one of his weekly evening talks, Stew communicates the big picture of chiropractic – the ability to express our life’s full potential free from interference. (that was not on the exam)