4/1/26

Greetings Wild-Hearted Friends, Deep Feelers, Gentle Healers, and Sacred Pausers.

My life completely changed forever last week.

On Wednesday, Pieces and Willis both crossed over. I have seen this coming for months as they were both 15 years old….so I did have time to prepare myself. But some things you just can’t prepare for...some things you just have to wing on the fly.

I shared more of their story—and some of my favorite photos—here if you’d like to see:

​https://racheldicksonoutdoors.blogspot.com/2026/03/long-live-littles-remembering-reeses.html​

But something that I’ve noticed is I feel as if my heart is still wide open...yet so very tender. I also noticed my desire to shut down this tenderness.

To numb it...or suppress it.
To simply make it go away.

But then...I heard a voice say to me, “Can you sit with this? Can you make friends with this feeling?”

Grief.

Can I make friends with grief?

I believe I can...and I know it will take some time. After all, making friends with someone takes a little time. Trust...ya know...is a big factor.

I asked myself, “Can grief hurt you Rach?” The answer came immediately.

No, grief can’t hurt you...not any more than you’re already feeling the pain of overwhelming sadness, loss and major life changes.

So then the next question became, “What can you learn from this grief? What is it here to teach you?”

Oriah Mountain Dreamer in her book, The Invitation says,

So here I am on my journey. It feels like I’m in the gap on a vinyl record between songs. You remember that gap...the grooves that gave pause in between the end of one song and the beginning of the next?

I’m not sure just yet what all the next chapter in my life will hold. But I am grateful my heart is still open...knowing full well the dangers of slamming it shut in fear of future hurts.

Pieces and Willis bowls are still in their spot.
The box by the bed they used as a step is still in its place.
Their dog beds still on the floor near the bookcase.

I have no intention of removing any of these things for now...as I lean into making friends with grief.

I truly believe deep down that the way forward...is through. I may have to take a few dance lessons along the way.

Love and light.

Wild-Heart Practice of the Week:

“Sit with it”

Set a timer for 5-10 minutes.
No distractions. No fixing. No reframing.

Just sit with whatever is present.

If grief shows up, let it sit beside you.
If tears come, let them come.
If nothing comes at all, welcome that too.

You might place a hand on your heart and gently ask:

Can I make a little space for this?​
​Can I let this just be here… for now?

This is is about learning the language of your own heart.

Let the River Reconnect You

Here’s a 5-minute guided meditation for softening, releasing, and coming home to yourself.
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A gentle place to sit with what you’re feeling—and let it move, just a little.

If sitting with it feels hard… you don’t have to do it alone.

Here you can:

Let the sound of the river hold you.
Let your breath guide you back.
Let whatever you’re carrying… flow.

Featuring guided voice + river sounds by Rachel

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​[Explore the Meditation]​

Sip from the WILD

For slow mornings, tender hearts, and the courage to feel it all.
​Featuring original art by Rachel
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[View Mug​s]
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It means more than you know to have you here with me in this space.

If something in this Field Notes resonated, I’d love to hear what it touched in you.
Feel free to hit reply or share—these quiet reflections have a way of finding exactly who they’re meant for.

Namaste,
Rachel

P.S. Thank you for being here.

🙏 If you feel called to support this work, you can leave a small tip or contribution here: → [Support the Work]​
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🌿 Explore more meditations, writings, and wild-heart practices at RachelDickson.com​

🎬 If you haven’t yet, please take a few minutes and watch Rachel’s Tedx Talk → [view the full 18-min talk here]
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​💌 In case you missed any past Field Notes, you can find the full collection here: → [View them all]

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