Notes From Chupadero – Sometimes, Raspberries Fall from the Sky by Aarin Richard

Notes From Chupadero
Sometimes, Raspberries Fall from the Sky

by Aarin Richard

One morning several years ago, while I was contemplating breakfast, I remembered the fresh raspberries in the fridge. Smiling, I grabbed the plastic carton and impatiently began to pry it open as I walked towards the counter. The lid sprang up and the whole container summersaulted out of my hand… all of the berries scattering around the Saltillo floor. A surge of anger welled up but it sourced not from this mishap. No, this anger was rooted in a deep sense of uncertainty and angst I was feeling in my life at that time. My usual stream of profanity started flowing out but within a nanosecond something stopped me, mid-curse word!! It was like a silent voice had barged in, front and center. I knew immediately… It was my old friend and teacher, Woody. He showed up with this message; “You know Aarin, sometimes raspberries just fall from the sky”. I recognized it instantly as another one of his beautiful lessons, so eloquent in its simplicity. As I stood there looking at the floor in a state of bemusement moving towards wonder, my frown turned back to a smile… of gratitude.

Woody was my old companion and faithful friend… a Labrador Retriever. I also consider him one of my great teachers!! Over the years he had placed small lessons in front of me, without demands, without obligations and without expectations. Lessons in the Ways of Being that he had mastered through innate knowledge and which I, the student, struggled to grasp and adopt as personal truths. Woody’s teachings were about the true nature of abundance, living in the present, spontaneous joy, graciously accepting bliss and finding the good in everyone. These were his truths and the true north of his being.

For me, they were often paradoxes that I had to question and probe in order to find the hidden, deeper meaning. But Woody was masterfully patient. He had no lesson plan, attendance was optional and grading would have been totally inappropriate. He was just there as a guide, walking the path, informing by example.

For us humans, expectations are not always met while residing in the physical reality of planet Earth. Disappointment, hardship and heartbreak, large and small, are part of the terrain and we do our best to navigate. But there is also immense beauty throughout this terrain. Despite all the things that get thrown at us, sometimes, when we least expect it and for no apparent reason, raspberries do fall from the sky, like little miracles that land in a beautiful array all around us. If we just stop and take a little time, their sweet gifts are there to be savored. That was the lesson I received in the kitchen that morning, with the help of some visual aids.

I think some of our great teachers in life are only with us for a short while. They come as guides to impart wisdom about our journey and then leave us to work through the lessons on our own, as we need to do. But in spirit, they never really leave us. I believe they stay just a step away, there to help us through the difficult parts.

Woody left the earth plane on this day nine years ago…. and I still miss his boundless love!! Shortly after, he came to me in a vision. I was walking down a path and Woody was running ahead as usual, stopping occasionally to turn towards me to make sure I was coming along. It was then that I understood what his gaze had always been saying to me… ”Come on Aarin, the path is this way, follow your joy”!!