Day 1354

Without any judgment, criticism or unrealistic expectations, our dogs love us. In their presence, their adoration humbles me and makes me feel undeserving. Realizing that we feed them and shower them with affection does not explain th depths of their loyalty. Their devotion reaches beyond anything we have ever offered. Dogs are simply the best.

We can learn from their open hearts. On the one hand (or paw), we could attempt to live up to their opinions of us. For me, even though I tried my hardest, I fear I would disappoint them or let them down almost immediately. Falling off the “white horse” they have set us on, would be inevitable. Humans are not made that way.

On the other paw, we could try to follow their example and open our own hearts with trust, affection and acceptance. Being aware that other people might just need us to look beyond any broken imperfections they carry to offer a little sample of what dogs offer us might lighten a load or soothe a hurting heart. We can never hope to give love like our dogs, but we might just try to open up our hearts a little more to make others feel valued and honored.

Even though I don’t deserve the absolute adoration my dogs freely offer, I can try to shelve any unrealistic expectations, judgments and criticisms when offering dog-like love to those I meet. I am a work-in-progress, but my teachers surround me every day with their four paws as they demonstrate the road to travel.