Living Life Like a Dog

Ok, so today, I made it so you would question me not from the first paragraph but from the very title of this post. Like how I threw you guys for a loop and changed up the method to my madness? LOL :) So, I'm sure many of you out there are either used to not understanding what I mean until I explain myself or, if you're new here... WELCOME! As you can see I like throwing you guys off a bit before beginning my posts. Now that I've completed my most important task of confusing you all :) let's get to the post!

What do I mean by "live like a dog"? Well, ever since bringing Thena home she has taught me so much. At the same time, there are many lessons she is teaching me that I hope I can learn and keep with me forever... one of those is being able to see life like she does.

I'm sure many of you who are already pawrents have experience with this so you'll understand where I'm coming from but, how many of us have actually stopped for a moment and observed how our fur babies see life and the world? I know I try to! Especially when I'm having a down or not so great day, I definitely try to! Let's begin with how they see love. I'm sure for many of us, the best part of ending our work day or our errands is being able to go back home to our furry companions. I know it is for me! Being able to come home to Athena jumping for joy, wagging her tail, crying of happiness, and laying on her back so I can give her some good long belly rubs can turn my mood around in a fraction of a second. How many of us can say we've seen going home in this way or that we've seen other people this way? How many of us can say that, if someone we love leaves for just a few minutes, we would greet them as if we had not seen them in months or years? That's exactly what these beautiful creatures do! They show us how important we are to them and that they care for us as much, if not more, than we care for them. It's so heartwarming and beautiful to experience! Now, of course I'm not expecting us to jump or be overwhelmed with joy if we see someone only after 5-10 minutes of them being out but, what if we did take some time out of our day to be grateful for the loved ones we have? What if we were to thank God, the Universe, or whatever we may believe in (or just be grateful in general if perhaps you don't believe in anything) for all those lives that matter to us and that we are still able to interact with? What if, by remembering our loved ones that surround us we can remember to enjoy every moment we have with them and fully understand that this life is fleeting? How much better would the world and our lives be?!?! Just imagine.

Another thing that Thena is teaching me is the importance of letting love lead me to forgiveness. I'll explain. As a pawrent, I know I have accidentally done what many of us have done, hate to admit, and hope never to do again... I've bumped into her or stepped on her paw/tail. In those moments, I feel AWFUL, especially if she gives out one of her puppy yelps. I immediately either pick her up or bend down and fill her with kisses as I speak to her in my baby voice and apologize. Also, as a pawrent, there have been moments where I've either lost my cool and yelled at her or when I've had to teach her something is unacceptable and have had to use my more stern and strict tone of voice. I can say with complete confidence that this does not affect Athena. I can see as I'm apologizing for my mistake or for accidentally hurting her that there is only love in her eyes for me. As I grab her little muzzle for a kiss on the nose or on the top of her head I can see that she holds no grudges against my imperfections. I can see that this small moment does not damper the important memories we've made nor has it broken the bond we have. This makes me reflect on how many say that animals don't think... well I can say this... they may not have our cognitive abilities but, their is certainly something in their innate nature that makes them more capable of forgiveness and love than any of us human beings.

Now, let's think about it. How many of us can live in this way? How many of us can allow the love that we have lead us to forgiveness? How many of us perhaps want to forgive and have to fight through our pain or our human nature in order to allow the love to shine through and help us get to that point? How big a struggle is this for many of us? How many of us can see one person, or even various people, and feel the same joy (if not more) every single time they come before us? As a first time pawrent, I can see why so many others before me have loved their fur babies so deeply. it's because their sweet and gentle nature traps you. Their loving and selfless nature seems to span from some part of their being that us humans have not learned to develop or use quite yet. From this part of their being eminates their ability to teach us, without words, how important and sincere actions can be. They show us the most peaceful, happy, and loving way to be. I know I'll never get to that point as I have my human nature that will get in the way; however, I know I want to get as close as possible to that point. To try and be as gentle as possible with life and to live it the most peaceful and rewarding way I can. To find the simple things of life and to milk them for all their worth. To understand the value of the things and people that surround me. I know its going to be a path that I will be one potentially until my dying day but, I'm certainly willing to work at it and keep trying. All I am trying to say is that, in this sense, I would certainly love to live my life like a dog :).