the wolf

On our family vacation last year in NC, when my friend and I escaped at night, we'd hang out at this tiny little cul-de-sac overlooking the river. You couldn't see much at night, except for the signage for the property and a picnic area with lights strung from the trees. While we were on our 'get the hell out of the cabin and away from the eight energetic children,' car riding adventures at night, I never noticed the house...until the day we left. The sign said, "ROCK BOTTUM" and I got goosebumps when I really looked at the property. WOW!

Besides the seriously creative name, this property is a beauty that lies along a rocky road, alongside a sparsely populated, very private patch of river, with a private driveway, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and a wrap around porch on both floors. Plus the river created this tiny little atoll, a natural made pool, that is shallow enough to float in, but not deep enough, nor the current strong enough, to cause you to drift out of the pool if you were say, floating on your back in it. Floating on my back in water is one of my all time favorite ways to meditate. The water relaxes me. I can picture spending time at ROCK BOTTUM in every season. 

If that's rock bottum, I'm in. Bottums are a specialty of mine. ;) This property is also where I thought I saw a wolf one night, peering in my car window, just inches away (KUJO! came to mind). I was so frightened I jumped back in my seat and gasped. When I did this, the wolf sat down and wagged his tail. Wolfie was not a wolf, but a Shiba Inu/Akita mix. I don't know what his name was, but he was a very good boy, and at first,  I feared he was lost. It was freezing cold and he was cold. I loved on his frozen velvety ears and tried to pull him in the car so I could read his collar. He refused. Adrian is afraid of dogs so he wasn't helping get this dog in the car and I realized he could turn wolf on me at any second, so I let him go and we went back to the cabin. I tried to get him to follow us and he did for quite a bit. He stayed right behind the car for a while. I kept calling him hoping he'd come in for the night. He stopped following us though. I fretted all night if he was lost and freezing to death. 


The next day, when we arrived at the Rock Bottum cul-de-sac on our way back home, I called 'him' and he appeared below at the river and leapt from the steep slope below up to us in a sprint. He knew I was calling him! (My doggie voice is very animated. Doggies respond when I speak doggy). Wolfie was gorgeous in the day time. We decided to stop and that's when I became envious of the dog. He had the freedom to roam this acreage 24/7. You could tell this was his home, and that he knew every square inch of it. This might've been the happiest dog I'd ever seen. The girls went cuckoo over him and we stayed and played and loved on him for a long time before any of us wanted to get on the road for home. We all remember this as the favorite part of the whole trip. It was just the five of us, and Wolfie. Everything was as it should be.  


Although I feel like I'm at ROCK BOTTUM right now, I know things could be worse and many are dealing with struggles much more severe than heartbreak. I have to remind myself that my rock bottom is pretty lucky as far as rock bottoms are concerned. 


Plus, this property inspired me to have a rock hard bottom. I have nothing to lose by gaining more fitness. And nowhere to go from here but up. Still, it's kinda scary to be on the bottom of a bad situation, looking up, seeing the light in the distance, and knowing I have a long way to go before I'm shadow-free and shining again. Nowhere to go from here but up... but up.... but up... shut up now Dawn. But, the but thing is too fun to pass up. Butt up! Heehee.