Day 1482

Ranger is living his best life! He rolls in the grass, takes long walks and is allowed to have his own way in most matters of the day. He is beloved and cherished.

Standing out in the back yard with my Halo of Goldens, it occurred to me that their joy comes from life itself. Their needs are totally met, but those needs are not many. They have no credit cards, no Amazon account, no calendar and no worries beyond the next activity Mom chooses! They live for the moment and those moments bring happiness.

Humans could take a few notes about their life. Although we have evolved beyond “living for the moment,” we might just benefit from blocking our everyday concerns/obligations for a few minutes during the rush of life. I tried that today…

Watching Ranger find complete joy and oblivion while enjoying a back “wiggle” in the grass was my impetus. Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes for a brief time, I blocked any worries from my mind and just filled my being with the warmth of the sun and the wind blowing my hair. Staying in that mode was not easy. Little concerns and “should-do’s” began to creep in and disintegrate the moment.

Why can’t we be more like dogs? If we could simply live in their joy-filled world, life might offer a few more smiles! Since humans are not wired that way, perhaps practicing dog-like joy when a moment presents itself might lead to more happiness. That is my goal: Stop and block needless worry and deadlines for a brief time while taking in everything that fills your heart and spirit.

Practice makes perfect and I predict joy will sneak in for those moments. Studying Ranger and his gang might just be a lesson that is needed in my life!