Lessons From Dogs #5

Be as goofy as you can.

Life is meant to be filled with love, kindness, mistakes and learning.  It is GOOD to be goofy. 

 

Dance whenever you can-- it is proven to be healthy for you. 

 

Sing when it gets quiet-- it's contagious! 

 

Be silly when you play with your kids. 

 

Get down on the floor, lay on your back and grin as if life couldn't be any better.

 

 

Hang out with your dog as if he really is your best friend. 

Besides, you're HIS best friend.

 

Lessons From Dogs #4

Don't leave a mess for others to step in or clean up.

When I walk Bruce I absolutely cannot stand stepping in poop. No one does. It's disgusting. And it reflects on the owner, not the dog. When I see poop on the ground I think of someone who is lazy or just doesn't care.

One of the biggest lessons I learned while in the military (and it's constantly drilled into our heads) is to leave the place better than you found it. This lesson pertains to everything in life.

If you have a job, perform it in a way that you've exhausted your best efforts so that you leave a good mark behind if you resign or retire. Be a mentor for others. A good one that genuinely cares about the job whether or not you like the job itself.

If you have kids, leave their kids with parents who love them and work hard to guide them so that they are independent, confident but humble, loving towards others, and valuing life itself.

Care.

Care!

Lessons From Dogs #2

Forgiveness.

Yesterday was a really rough day. We came home and I found that Bruce made a mess in his crate. It wasn't one of those easy accidents. He sat in it. So he was nasty.

I tried to take him out of the crate slowly so he wouldn't make a mess. But he had other plans. He bolted! He ran out into the living room where he stopped to shake and rub his body on the carpet.

In a panic I grabbed his collar and quickly led him to the bathroom. Bruce hates baths. He's scared to death of them. I don't know if in his past life he was tortured with water, but he just freaks out. I forgot about that.

I wrestled with him in the tub. He's 90 lbs. And he won. Leaving me soaked in poop and water, he plastered himself between the toilet bowl and the counter. So I left him in there and proceeded to clean the mess in his crate.

I finally decided to call Petsmart and set him up for a bath. Half an hour after dropping him off, the groomer called me. She told me that he was so stressed from the bath that he threw up and she couldn't finish him. So I picked him up. He was clean but they couldn't do any brushing. At least they didn't charge me for the bath.

When I brought him back home, he laid on the couch. He seemed quiet. And sad. When he caught me looking at him, he got off the couch and approached me with his head down. And he gave me a kiss.

I was mad at him. I was so mad at him.

And then I had to think about it. All dogs have accidents. And he isn't the exception. I make mistakes too. Sometimes I forget to stuff. Sometimes I make the wrong choices.

Another thing- I knew he hated baths. He has always hated baths. That's why I usually got him groomed instead if doing it myself. So why would I be mad if I knew it wasn't going to work if I tried to bathe him myself?

As he stared at me with those big brown eyes, I realized something. He forgave ME. He forgave me long before I even took him to Petsmart. He forgave me even as I wrestled with him in the bath tub.

It takes us humans such a long time to forgive our pets when we are so quick to justify our actions and our REACTIONS.

I'm grateful to have such a loving soul in my life.

Lessons From Dogs #3

Run Just Because

Like many dogs, sometimes Bruce will escape from home. When he does, the first thing he does is run. Just to run. He has nowhere he needs to be in a hurry. He isn't starving and searching for food. He just wants to run.

It is ok and healthy to let your hair down once in a while. It's ok to stop what you're doing and dance. We go through life focusing on work and chores at home. Sometimes you have to run and burn some energy. Laugh. Play.

Don't go too far from home, of course. And always go back. But don't forget to run just because.

Lessons From Dogs #1

Stop to smell the roses (and the fire hydrant, the stop sign, every tree).
Like dogs; slow down and notice the sights, sounds, and smell of your every day life.  People who recover from a long illness know the importance of this.  And whether you're aware of it or not, like them you can too.
20 Life Lessons that Walking Your Dog Can Teach You, 2011, The Pilgrim Press

We can learn a lot from our dogs.  They are simple creatures with simple needs and desires.  They have such a selfless nature.  Today's lesson is to stop and "smell the roses."  I posted an excerpt from 20 Life Lessons that Walking Your Dog Can Teach You.

We tend to rush through life, don't you agree?  In the morning I usually rush through dressing, skip breakfast and it feels like it was all a blur by the time I get to work.  I miss out on the sunrise.  When I'm driving, I'm listening to music or radio talk shows, I'm thinking of the big issues currently going on in my head.  What I'm not doing is noticing the sky.

When I sit on my porch, I have a book in my hand.  Or I'm browsing through the internet on my phone.  In the meantime, Bruce is laying on the concrete floor with his head up and nose twitching.  He's observing the entire environment with his nose.  And he seems so... happy and content.  When we go for walks, instead of going straight to doing his business he has his nose to the ground.  He's scenting the other dogs and people who've been there before us.  He's smelling out of curiosity and he gets such a kick out of it!

If we humans paid attention to the things going on around us and actually took the time to notice what's deeper than just the first impressions, we might see that the cash register at a busy grocery store might be rude because she's sad or hurt.  Or the driver who's driving us crazy because they're too slow for us might be seventy years old and trying their best to keep up.

Dogs slow down and notice things.  They are simple creatures with simple desires.  We have so much to learn from them and stopping to smell the roses is such a simple yet important lesson.