Dog: Yay, you’re awake!
Me: Oh dear god is it morning already? 5 more minutes.
Dog: Yay, breakfast!
Me: Right, breakfast, and then I need to do x, y, z and a, b, c
Dog: Yay, walkies!
Me: Right, let’s get the dog walked, then I can crack on with the next thing on my to do list.
Dog: Yah, afternoon naptime!
Me: Bloody hell, look at this desk – need to tidy that before I can get on with the next task.
Dog: Yay, ball!
Me: I’m playing with the dog and the ball but my mind is in the future, on what I’m doing next.
My dog is a great teacher of joy and being here, now. She shows me where I lack present moment awareness, where I lack joy, where I lack going with the flow. She comes in and harangues me to go for a walk or take a break to play with the ball or just take a minute or five to fuss her…usually just at the point when I’m least likely to stop, but when I most need to take a break and refresh my body, mind, heart and soul.
Whatever we do, she is happy. Ok, she’s not a working dog…but if she were, I’m fairly sure she’d enjoy it. She’s just that kind of soul – everything is a delight, a joy, fun, something to wag her tail about.
Of course, going to the vet isn’t a waggy tail opportunity, nor is walking when people are shooting (I nicknamed her mafia dog – she always thinks the shooters are after her). But once the bad thing is over, she doesn’t dwell on it, she doesn’t sulk…she just moves onto the next tail wagging opportunity.
So ask yourself right now: is your tail wagging? Are you thinking “Yay, desk tidying time, let’s crank up the tunes” or “Yay, e-mail answering time” or “Yay, ebook editing time”? Or are you dashing from task to task with a permanent crease in your forehead and an eye on “everything” you have to do today? Are you taking a moment to pause and breathe and refresh yourself now and again, or are you just grimly pressing on with everything you have to do?
Are you present? Are you here now? Or are you worrying about last night or tomorrow? Are you giving your full attention to what’s most important to you in this moment, or are you scattered and distracted? Are you following the call of your nose, or are you forcing yourself to ignore your instincts in order to do as you ‘should’?
Do life like a dog. Be enthusiastic about whatever your doing now. Enjoy it to the best of your ability, even if it’s work or boring or a task you detest. Be present, focused, clear. Follow your instincts as much as you can. (I draw the line at allowing my dog to roll in poop!) Bring your joie de vivre to this moment, and wag your tail!
Love
Donna.x