A few day ago was National Dog Day, not sure who came up with it but in our house every day is a dog day. I am not going to lie, our dogs are pretty spoiled and I don’t feel bad about it. They deserve all of it and even more.
I wasn’t sure what to do for our girls to make it a really special day.
New toys? Nay... they have two buckets of toys and half of them are never played with.
A treat? Even more delicious treats? And beside that, we all need to loose a few pounds.
So I decided to take them for a walk on a new road, somewhere where we have never been before. They followed me without any resistance when I turned to an unfamiliar path for them. They were very happy and definitely perked up because of all the new smells.
Luna stopped at most of the mailboxes, bushes, even parked cars. Tilly wasn’t far behind. And of course I let them take their time. It was all about them, no rush, they got the time they wanted to read all the ”pee-mails” left by other dogs and animals.
They looked with curiosity at each person we passed and greeted two ladies with wagging tails and kisses, when they stopped to talk with us. They said “hello” with a loud bark to a dog in a distance.
Luna’s and Tilly’s focus and their excitement, being fully present and enjoying each minute while we were walking the new way made me think about us people. How much we are over thinking before we try something new, how resistant we are to changes, how reserved we can be when meeting new people, how emotionless we pass others on the street. Often we don’t even look them in the eyes and mostly how distracted we are with all our devices, news and noises so that we don’t even notice what is happening around us.
So I followed my girls and did almost everything they did. When Tilly and Luna stopped, I stopped too, I didn’t pull the leashes. I just stood there, looked around and listened to the birds, rustling trees and other sounds. When they sniffed on something I closed my eyes and breathed in the smell of a hot summer day, the fragrance of blooming flowers and felt tremendous joy in my heart. I truly became fully aware of my surroundings.
Then my girls decided to take a break and lie down in the grass. Oh how much I wanted to lie down next to them…but not on someone’s front lawn. The whole situation made me smile. I watched them and waited for them to be ready to go back.
Wishing you all many “dog days”, full of joy, excitement, being present in the moment, having an open heart for new people and for paths the Universe offers us in life.
Much love to you.
Anna