Are You Ready?

Blog Post #24

Are You ready?

A friend recently sent me a note asking: “Are you ready?” My immediate response was laughter. I had just returned from visiting family in Arizona, where I stayed with my nephew, his wife and their two beautiful Australian sheep dogs. One of the dogs had an unshakable mind-set: all he wanted was for someone to throw him a ball so he could catch it. Unfortunately, running to catch the ball on the mostly stone surface of their backyard was not kind to his paws – I was not the first to be subjected to this dog’s desire. The dog was not fazed by what was going on with his paws. He only wanted to engage you to throw the ball so that he could catch it – again and again. He had such pleading, playful eyes. Taking both his pleading and his paws into consideration, I decided to delay tossing the ball to him by saying what seemed to be an unfamiliar command: “Are you ready?” The dog looked at me with an expression that insisted that this was a silly thing to ask him. Since I continued to write in my journal instead of tossing the ball, he had to figure out what to do. After some time, he decided to sit at attention. With this gesture of compliance, I tossed the ball directly to him, no running involved. After a quick moment for chewing, he gave the ball back to me to throw again. The dog didn’t seem to think it necessary to sit to have the ball tossed to him, so it took a bit more time, every time, to see who would prevail. I said, “Are you ready?” so many times it’s a mantra etched in my mind and the cause of my laughter when I read the question.

But it did make me wonder: Am I ready? And ready for what? The excitement of a new year? A new beginning? Unlimited possibilities? Unknown opportunities? These and other thoughts entered my mind as I sought the answer to that question – which came in the form of an affirmation: “Yes, I am ready!” It seems a fitting way to prepare the mind for a positive outcome no matter what the future presented. It was an interesting question to ponder, even though the dog didn’t think so. If ever asked again, without hesitation, my answer will affirm: Yes, I am ready!

“Are you ready?”

Pussy-willows symbolize a new beginning, new growth.

Golden yellow, supported by an expansive green backdrop, symbolizes the success meditative thought has on the subject being contemplated.

With pencil guidelines in place, gray dye was painted on the willow’s bloom, allowing for a variegated mix of gray and white when the beeswax was applied. Brown dye was then painted on the stem guidelines and sealed with wax. Applying dye in this manner gives the pussy-willow symbol a more realistic appearance and preserves the white eggshell allowing yellow to dye true and deep. With the yellow “lace” in place, the egg was rinsed and the red squares were painted on and waxed over. The final dye bath produced a warm, welcoming, spring-green.