Life's Choices -Stories by a Dachshund

STORY5;  (For a free copy of the book, The Heart’s Choices of Benjamin Booysen, be the first one to answer the question that follows this story. The answer can be found in any one of the last five stories posted!

“Ben…! Aren’t you ever going to get up from there? We all need a turn you know!” “But Ribs, it’s big enough for all of us…jump in.” “I also want my own turn, just like you did! I’m giving you just a few more minutes…then I call Oupa.” I closed my eyes. Who says I don’t have negotiation skills…

Deep breath, relaxed, soft breeze…paradise…! “Stop that you silly bird…I’ll tell Professor if you do that again!” What? Have they moved their school to this tree? I looked up and saw all the mousebirds neatly in a row on a branch in my tree! And Professor…let me tell you about our Professori…

The self appointed teacher of the mousebirds, Professor (so he likes to be called… imagine!) moved his school to our garden not so very long ago! Being a typical ‘know-it-all’ I decided that our communication won’t much go beyond ‘good morning, nice day… see you around…’ But now, now I really need to say something about this rude interruption…and the fact that this is not a tree for a… What!? What did I hear?

“…but I don’t have holes in my body!” “No, silly, not real holes…i-ma-gi-na-ry holes!” Oh this is a good one! Let me hear what our clever Professor is teaching his class today!

“Ok, Vonnie, let’s hear how you understood my lesson this morning.” “Well, it’s like this. We mousebirds are part of a very close community, but even so, as individuals we still need to live a balanced life. In other words, we must fill the ‘holes’ in our bodies with work and study, friends, personal growth, pleasure and fun, spiritual growth…” Mmm, I thought, very impressive Professor, but what about alone time? Surely even a mousebird needs alone time!

“Ok Benjamin…it’s Rebecca’s turn in the hammock.” I looked at Oupa and then at Rebecca. “Ribs, can’t we share…? I will…”

QUESTION; What is the name of the bully that came for a few talking sessions with Ben’s beloved mother?

STORY 4 (OF THE FREE BOOK COMPETITION)

Once in a while my beloved mother and I encounter the real bullies of our neighbourhood. It’s not often, but let me tell you, there are some mean teens out there!

This morning it was Fearless Freddie. Now there are those that I call the scuffles and then there are those I call the dogos. Freddie was definitely a dogo, which means that deep down he is still a ‘good’ person, but some of his wires got really loose! Everyone smaller and younger feared him including all the animals. So, Fearless Freddie arrived this morning for a few ‘talking sessions.’

For the first couple of sessions I found that I had a lot of matters to attend to. I’d excused myself and assured my beloved mother that she was extremely capable of talking to him on her own. Now please understand, I’m not one to avoid my responsibilities, but to be in close proximity of Fearless Freddie was a bit unnerving. I was more than a bit worried…and I knew my dearest mother fully understood.

The usual method of relating to scuffles and dogos was to give them things like tasks to do rather than talking. At then end of a meeting they had to explain their interpretation of what the meaning of the different exercises were…Fearless Freddie was incredible; he started figuring out from the fourth exercise what the message was. But it was only after the very last one that he was allowed to verbalise his observation.

I heard later that Fearless Freddie became quite the ‘preacher’ at the school he attended. All day long it was ‘don’t kick him; that kick will come back to you! You girls…stop gossiping, or worse things will be said about you! Stop fighting with your younger brother or one day you’ll have to fight for your own life! Don’t any of you know that whatever you do or say always comes back to you! What are you…dumb?!

That night I added a special line in my prayer for ‘Preacher Freddie.’

Our Garden...one evening
Story 3;  (See STORY 1 for details of this Free Book competition)

“Quite peaceful isn’t it Ben? Everyone minding their own business, no fighting, no crying…peace in the land of the early birds….” “Yes, the energy in this garden is particularly ‘alive with joy’… the joy of this moment!” “You are content I see…?” “Yes, even though I miss my beloved mother…my heart is in this moment.” “You’ve never thought you’re missing out on life?” “What? How? How can I miss out on life?”

“Flying? Andreas, I’m a dog…” “Yes, yes Ben…just wondering if you don’t want to see the world, see other places, travel with your mother…do what others do…?” “To you this may sound strange, but in this little garden I have found a most amazing, gentle energy. It’s an excitement, an exhilaration that’s just always with me. I think some humans experience it sometimes ‘from the outside’ like falling in love…or doing some things that really pump them up… but for me … it’s with me, whether I’m sad, or happy, or angry… whether I’m on my own, next to Rebecca or with my beloved mother. There is this…I don’t know…this ‘rush’…” “Ben…” “Yes?” “It’s called Windhorse. You have discovered Windhorse. How right my clever friends from a very far beautiful country are…nothing or no one can ‘give’ it to you … ‘it’s a bank of self-existing energy that is always available to you’¹ …” “Andreas! Windhorse…I wanted to ask…” “Ben, come quick, mother is on the phone, Ouma (granny) is talking to her… quick come!”

STORY 2;  (See Story 1 for Free Book Competition details)

So, you’ve figured out what life is all about? Good for you, but for those who enjoy the detours in life, let me suggest a restaurant.

My beloved mother sat back and observed. So I sat back too and observed. Something was giving her immense pleasure and I’m certainly not going to miss out.

‘What are you having? I don’t know, maybe a salad, no, no, I don’t feel like that…Have you tried this veg stacker? No, I’m not a vegetarian anymore…Why not?...My blood group is O and apparently I need to eat meat…’

‘Oupa,(grandfather) what do you want? I don’t know, choose something for me…You want a chicken salad? No, I didn’t like the last one…Let’s see, do you want a toastie with chips? No, their slices are too big. Ok, maybe we should start with Ouma (grandmother)…Ouma, do you want… Ok, ok, says Oupa, I’ll have the chicken salad…’

Lots of cappuccinos and smoothies and a pint or two later we placed our order and relaxed.

I looked at everyone around the table. Perhaps we’ve all had disappointments in our lives with some menus and food in restaurants, but here we are again! We haven’t given up. And I think life is a lot like that. Just because they put syrup on my pizza and chillies on Oupa’s waffle doesn’t mean we won’t eat pizzas and waffles again! We chose laughter, got over it…and moved on!

I’m going to post five stories from the book, The Heart’s Choices of Benjamin Booysen. After the fifth story I will ask a question based on any one of these stories. The first one to respond will get a free copy of Ben’s book…

Story one: 

Our neighbour’s teenage daughter, Cindy, is really a wonderful human being. I often see her just enjoying their garden, looking at the plants and talking to the fairies and the gnomes and leprechauns… I have to admit that I haven’t as yet been able to see and actually talk to them, but soon, very soon…! But Back to Cindy.

She, I discovered, wasn’t quite like the other teenagers… She was sort of always happiness-filled…a free-spirit…and at first I thought all teenagers were like that until…

‘Of course I’m unhappy…everyone makes me unhappy! No one understands me, least of all my parents. It’s really difficult not to have what my friends have…if only they understood how it feels to be the one ‘without’… No, no, there is nothing wrong with my heart, my heart is just fine! If only I can also sometimes be the first one with something new… Flowers? What flowers? Nature? No, no, I’m not quite into those things… Blame? Yes, of course I blame them for my unhappiness…

I thank the Universe that I was born a dog… As a dog. I don’t have to go through the pain of needing a new cell phone, needing a new pair of shoes, wanting gel for my hair and needing a super sound system… I’m like Cindy, I’m just happy…and things come to me anyway!

‘Not living happily…? Husband not making you happy…? Husband just watching TV and drinking beer…? Husband not helping with the kids…? Husband not going to seminars with you…?

Mmm… You have choices…’

·        Do nothing… be unhappy forever… and enjoy victimhood…!

·        Do something…Choose to own your own happiness, after all, your happiness is not your husband’s responsibility… don’t blame him…!

·        Walk away…’

‘That’s it…?’ ‘Yip… You see, the problem is not your husband…The problem is… you want a perfect life… and you don’t want to rock the boat…but most of all… you don’t want change…’

PS. Ben and Mickey have gone ‘walkabout’ … This is the only voice left behind…

‘Ben… how much of what you did this week did you do out of pure joy and happiness…?’ ‘Mmm…’     

‘Mick…how much of what you did this week… did you do to please others…? ‘Mmm…’

‘So Ben…’ ‘Yes Mick… important it is to live your truth and find Heart’s joy…’

365 short stories with Ben and his friends...

The first ten stories with music (MP3) can be downloaded from:

http://www.archive.org/details/TheHeartsChoicesOfBenjaminBooysen

The Heart’s Choices of Benjamin Booysen is available on:  

             www.africanpublisher.com

Email: info@africanpublisher.com

Tel:      (+27) 011 782 1380

‘Aahh, shame…look at that poor boy…all alone…all…’ ‘Dezi…? Why shame…?’ ‘Shame…?’ ‘Yes, why did you say sh…?’ ‘Beenn…it’s  just an expression… Don’t you feel sorry for him…?’

         ‘Ben…? Shame is…perilously close to death…? Mickey? What does he mean?’

‘Emotions 101… Shame has a vibration of 20…If you consider that Enlightenment has a vibration of 1000…then…’ ‘Enlightenment…? Mickey…what’s Ben talking about…?!’ ‘Dezi…just don’t choose emotions with a vibration level below 200…you’ll definitely be classified as a Cosmic Thief!’ ‘Mickeyyy…!!’ ‘I told you Dezi…if you want to hang around with me and Ben…brace yourself…’

        ‘Mickey… which emotions are below 200…?’ ‘Mmm…Ben…do you think Ouma’s muffins are ready…?’ ‘Mickeyyy…!’   

‘Object referral is based on fear… You either get on your high horse and say, hey, don’t tell me what I can and what I can’t do…! Do you know who I am…?! Do you know how many degrees I have…?! Or, you get on your submissive horse and say, oh, yes, sorry…you’re so right…I shouldn’t have thought I could make any difference…so sorry!’ ‘Ben…I wonder how many people…’ ‘Mickey, Mickey… it’s not about how many humans live from Ego, fear, high horse, submissive horse, flight horse and no horse…! It’s about how Mickey…is living…!’

        ‘Ben… What about your high horse…?’ ‘Huh…? Mine…?’

‘Mick…what you’re up to this weekend?’ ‘Good and bad…’ ‘Mmm…judgments again…’ ‘No Ben, just life…!’

        ‘So… Mickey…?’ ‘Well, tonight is a party at Michelle’s place…that is good. Tomorrow morning it’s shopping with my mother…that is bad. Then pool and a few pints with Kyle and Jamie...that is good. Then, my dear friend…Aunt Nelly and family…That…is bad!’ ‘Mmm…’ ‘And then Ben, Sunday I’m seeing Dezi, you know, Kyle’s cousin…’ ‘Ooh...?’ ‘And that might be good, or it might be bad…it depends on whether we…you know…’ ‘Mmm…’ ‘So, you see Ben…good and bad…’   

        ‘Mickey…why don’t you choose a joyful weekend? Why do you already expect that some things WILL be good and some things WILL be bad…? Why don’t you just intend to experience joy…without all the…’ ‘Conditions and judgments…?’ ‘Exactly…! Don’t you want to attract a lighter vibration…? Life becomes so…so much easier when you live…’ ‘Beeeen!!! Where are you…? It’s time to go to the vet…!’ ‘Mickey…now THAT is…’