EMBRACING NEW LIFE

What if you could embrace an even more inspired life today?

“Yes, I am willing…” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

Today, Lucy the llama will become a mother for the first time. Historically, her job has been to protect the sheep on the farm. But today, her job is changing.

For her newborn, Hank, my eyes are the first he sees. What a frightening sight that must be.

A cross between a praying mantis and a daddy long legs, Hank looks like an alien lying in the grass. Or a “creature that has crawled out from the ocean,” Steve, the soay sheep farmer says smiling, happy at the successful birth.

But we notice, Lucy does not immediately lick the afterbirth: Steve and his wife, Pris, have heard the licking causes a reaction vital to nursing interaction. *

First Look

Lucy stands as her baby struggles to stand, too.

Why doesn’t she help him more?

Even a couple of ewes that have respected Lucy’s privacy throughout come forward, sniff the baby as if to say, “Mama, this is what you’re supposed to do. Show some interest; establish a bond.”

She remains seemingly indifferent, eyes closed, ears laid back.

“Okay, that was not fun.”

Pris suggests maybe she resents her new role in life.

I watch Lucy and ask, Is this what “No” looks like?

Through my years as a TV production executive, “No” was a big part of my vocabulary. No to new projects. No to someone’s ideas. No to peoples’ dreams, their desire to give birth to creativity. I let “No” permeate my being. Soon it became me. “No” to love. “No” to intimacy. “No” to living larger than me. “No” became a posture, a way of being.

Then sometimes nature, or our own nature, asserts itself and a new perspective is born; our hearts are opened, and our spirits say “Yes.”

And Yes is so much softer, simpler, more inviting. All the joy, affirmation, victory, peace follow “Yes.” I like the way it feels when I say it out loud, like going forward instead of backward.

Frisky!

Pris suggests we move the mother and baby to a stall with hay. Steve and I pull milk from Lucy’s udders, leave samples on Hank’s nose. He wanders through the stall, suckling its corners instead of his mother’s teat.

Pris calls from the two-way radio with a research summary. Within 60 minutes to four hours, the baby llama should be nursing. This is how you know if something is wrong.

She describes that sometimes first-time mothers won’t know what to do. A way to make the newborn llama more attractive is to rub the placenta on the baby.

I do not deliberate. I grab the placenta, plaster the rubbery bag over Hank’s body.

Steve suggests opening the sack, to daub amniotic fluid on him. I douse the baby in liquid and massage it into his fur.

Everything slips away except Hank and me in this moment.

I am grateful to be able to dip my hands into the very guts of life.

Morning Face

The next morning, when Hank has eaten – feeding just fine now – I think of Dr. Wayne Dyer’s words I want to live by:

“Yes, I am listening; Yes, I am paying attention; and most important, Yes, I am willing.”

*Two years after Hank’s birth, Steve and Priscilla tell me they have learned llama mothers usually do not lick their babies, or eat the afterbirth. Had I known, I might have missed the chance to really dig my hands into the stuff of life.

“You know, kid, you’re okay after all.”

***

I yearn to live this way, sustainably. Would you like more of this spirit in your life, too?

Here are 3 ways I intend to practice this month. Join me?

1. Allow this to be a mantra for me: “Yes, I am listening; I am aware, I am willing.”
2. Prepare Nightly: Every night, before going to sleep, I will think of something I’m passionate about doing the next day – no matter how big or small. This reminds me of one simple way to say “Yes” to life and be willing to dig into the “stuff” of life each day.
3. Practice Oneness: Every day I will look for opportunities to feel “I Am That.” Celebrate them, rejoice in them, share them.

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Jillian Robinson Weaver is an Emmy-winning TV Producer, Author/Photographer, and Coach, whose passion is to help people live their Highest Self. Come join her on Instagram for daily “Coffee Conversations,” where she does just that! https://www.instagram.com/jillianrobinsonweaverccwg/.