The other day I was looking for something inspiring to read for a train ride and Richard Bach’s book “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” suddenly caught my attention. I hadn’t read that book in years, and I felt it was time for a re-read.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a fascinating book about a seagull aspiring to be more than an average seagull. It might sound strange, but it is very captivating and inspiring. If you haven’t read it already, I encourage you to do so. Here are a few key quotes from the book for you to contemplate:
“To fly as fast as thought…you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived”
“..you have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way.”
“The only true law is that which leads to freedom”
Seagull synchronicities
An interesting example of synchronicity – meaningful coincidence – happened in connection with the reading of that book on the train. I read as much as I had time for on the train, and as I came out of the train, the place was swarming with seagulls. Usually there are a couple at the most, but on that day there were many, and they were all oddly silent.
And not only that – my husband had been with me on the train part of the time as I was reading the book about Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He got off the train before me, but after a little while he called and told me that as he leaving the station he was met by about a dozen seagulls – they landed briefly just in front of him before taking off again – they were unusually close together and also oddly silent. He said that he had never seen seagulls there before.
As within, so without
I don’t like to over-interpret coincidences like that, but the obvious connection between the inner and the outer is remarkable.
I was reminded of what healer, mystic and author, Emmet Fox said about “as within, so without” – that our internal state will be reflected in our outside world. What we focus on, our thoughts and emotions, affect not only ourselves, but also the world around us. Several studies have been made on that, and I will write more about that in another article.
What does this have to do with pet loss?
In connection with the death of your pet, I hope you will get help and inspiration from what I have talked about above. If you feel sad, depressed and helpless after pet loss and cannot seem to get out of that state, one thing you can do is allow yourself to be inspired by a truly uplifting book.
While Jonathan Livingston Seagull is not about pet loss, I feel it can help and uplift you. I’ll end with a quote from the book for you to meditate on:
“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, …”
