Soul Mates

I love my dog. I’m sure this is surprising to exactly no one; I am not shy in sharing just how enamored I am by her. Maisy is also my heart dog, a term that I loosely define as a one-in-a-lifetime dog that worms her way into your heart despite all odds. Again, this probably isn’t a huge surprise. But is she my soul mate?

Photo by Laura.

I had never really given much thought to the concept of soul mates; despite having been married for over ten years, I rather assumed that there are many people in the world that you could meet, love, and live with happily. I still think that’s true, but it’s also true that there are people in the world who you immediately “click” with.

I was forced to confront the concept of soul mates last December when Maisy had her first modeling job. Between sets, the “wrangler” assigned to us told me that she was an animal communicator. Although I’m skeptical of them by nature, I’ve always been intrigued by animal communicators... just not enough to actually pay them money! I didn’t want to ask her to give her services away for free, so instead I asked what kinds of things people ask about. She recounted a recent encounter where the person wanted to know if she and her dog had been together in previous lives. The animal communicator told me that they hadn’t; sometimes relationships are just a one-time deal.

Then, in an off-handed kind of way, she said, “Not like you and Maisy. You guys are soul mates. Your souls aren’t always in the same form- you’re not always a human and a dog- but you always find one another in each life you have.”

Wow.

So there I was, pondering the idea of not only soul mates in general, but also very specifically. Was this true? And what is a soul mate anyway? Most websites have some variation on the same theme; a soul mate is a person with whom you have an immediate connection. Someone you love so deeply that you wonder if you’ve ever truly loved before. Some who brings you peace, calmness, and happiness.

And, yes, I did feel an immediate connection with Maisy. From the moment I met her, I knew she had to be in my life. Even though I didn’t really like dogs before. Even though my ex-husband objected to the idea of a dog. Even though I had to jump through a lot of hoops to bringing her home. I do love her deeply, and she does bring me so much joy. She often helps me feel better when I’m down, and she seems to instinctively know what I need from her at those times. But still, I was skeptical.

Until I read this definition from an article on MindBodyGreen: Soul mates are brought into your life so that you can grow and expand into the best version of yourself.

Well… yes, I believe Maisy has done this for me. In fact, the animal communicator had to interrupt herself at one point to say, “I’m sorry. I don’t usually read dogs without their person’s permission, but Maisy is being very loud and insistent right now. She says that you are her best project.”

This gave me chills. There are so very many reasons for this, many of them too personal for such a public space, but suffice it to say that Maisy is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Her presence in my life has created so many connections. Many of the most important relationships in my life- Sara, Margaret, Laura, Nicky, Megan, Elizabeth, Ryan, Lauren- have been because of Maisy. These are the people who have supported me and loved me through a very difficult year, who have enabled me to confront the demons of the past so that I can grow into the person I am meant to be. I love them all dearly.

So is Maisy my soul mate? Maybe. I still really don’t know what I think about the whole concept, but I do know that I couldn’t have made it through the last year without her and the people she’s brought into my life.