Lessons From Your Dog

You've probably heard the saying "everything I ever needed to know about life I learned from my dog", or some variation on this. I've previously written a blog about inspiration from my dog, but I thought I'd add a "part 2", because the more I watch my dog, the more I realize that she really has it right - the times she stares at the corner shaking in a thunderstorm notwithstanding. But truly, if I think about her life and the things that make her happy, I think we really all could learn some lessons from our dogs. Here are a few of my observations:

My dog Cinn, resting in the sun. 

• Don't sweat the small stuff. While it's true that my dog has a decent amount of fear of random things, she's certainly not analytical. Her food falls on the floor, it's totally still edible. Even after five seconds or ten seconds or whatever the appropriate "rule" is. A loud noise bothers her, but she forgets within seconds and continues to go about her day like it never existed. 

• Take it easy. I don't know about your pup, but mine spends a majority of her time relaxing. Many humans, on the other hand, can barely carve out an hour each day for ourselves. 

• Forgive and forget. Assuming it's not intentionally cruel or repetitious, if my dog is "wronged" - i.e. someone accidentally steps on her tail or her paw - she might wimper for a second, but then she's right back to her usual self, and not holding a grudge against the offender. 

• Enjoy the simple pleasures. My dog loves just sitting out in the sunshine. I think she could happily do it for hours. There's nothing fancy or high tech required. Just some grass and the sun. 

• Love unconditionally. Cinn's as excited to see me when I come home after walking out to get the mail as she is if I've been gone for hours. And when she needs comfort, she always comes to me. Being by the one she loves is enough to ease almost anything. 

• Follow your instinct. Some dogs are certainly brighter than others, but one thing they all have in common is instinct. My dog could predict a "scary" event  well before I could. I'm sure there's a scientific explanation of exactly how, but the point is that she can. She's not "thinking" about it, it just comes naturally. 

Cinn hanging out in my parents back yard.

I often look at my dog and think, "I wish I could just enjoy the moment like she is... look how happy she is just at the idea of a walk or a car ride." While our lives as humans are certainly more complex, and if we never gave thought to or analyzed anything at all we'd probably be in trouble, it doesn't mean we can't take a step back and live by some simpler rules once in a while. I think I just might try it.

This post was written as part of the I AM WOMAN 30 Day Blog and Linkedin Challenge.