Doing it Daphne Style!

Doing it Daphne Style!

I have a "mini" Bernadoodle named Daphne. ?

I say "mini" in quotes because she is 55 pounds! ?Hardly mini at all when she wakes me up each morning by sitting on me and licking my face. ?It's adorable, but man, when she steps on my bladder...??????

Normally, Daphne looks like a Teddy Bear with her longish, softly curled fur that makes her look all shaggy and snuggable. ?I LOVE her that way. ? She looks cute, dopey, and has the greatest smile.

Last week, Daphne went to the groomers.

We are getting ready to go to the cottage and I do NOT want her bringing in half the beach with her.

So I had her "trimmed"...to say the least.

She came back not looking AT ALL like the dog I had dropped off.

Instead of a fluffy Teddy Bear, I was greeted with a1/2" crew-cut dog who looked WAY more like her Poodle side than her Bernese side (and I LOVE the Bernese side).

She was prancing around the groomer's all proud of her new look.

She had the same smile, the same wag to her tail, the same playfulness.

But she didn't look like the Daphne I knew.

She had transformed into a newer, more clean-cut version of herself.

It took a few minutes to adjust to her new look (well, let's be real...I am STILL getting used to her new look LOL), but I knew she was the same dog I had dropped off a couple of hours before and I loved her just the same. ?

Check her out ??

Why do I tell you this story?

Because when you travel your grief journey, you will transform too.

You will transform on the inside AND, quite often, you transform on the outside to reflect those inner changes.

And when you transform, people may be surprised and taken aback by this new version of you.

They may be shocked by how you set new boundaries.

You may hear judgy whispers about your funky new hairstyle...complete with purple and pink streaks.

Family and friends may not understand why you sold your house and moved to Bora Bora.

But, you go through this transformation for YOU - and no one else.

And those who know you, who love you, who see your smile and recognize your soul, they will still love you and be there for you.

It may take some adjusting on their part, but they will adjust.

Trust me.

And for those around you who struggle to accept this new version of you or outright reject the new you, they are not meant to travel the next leg of your journey with you.

A hard truth to accept, but a truth nonetheless.

Moving forward with your grief is hard and healing requires transformation on so many levels.

AND it requires the support from those who know you, love you, and accept you for YOU - no matter what.

What transformation looks like to you, is up to you - only YOU know what is best for you.

Trust that you really DO know ??

And when you go through YOUR transformation, own it. ?

Be like Daphne and be proud of your new "look" and confident in who you are now.

For it is who you were meant to be.

Deep down at your core, you are still you - you never lose that. ?You just may show YOU to the world a bit differently now.

And that's OK.

YOU are worth it!

M. xo