My dog, the Zen master

1. Love unconditionally. You could be gone for a day, or you could be gone for an hour. Or you could accidentally leave your dog in the backseat of your car for a few days (I won't mention which friend of my accidentally did this ;) ) It doesn’t matter, they will ALWAYS still be happy to see you. My dog's love for other people has no bounds. She just wants to love, and be loved as often as possible, no questions asked.

 2. Don’t focus on the past or the future. Enjoy the present moment. As stated in the study, “A Wandering Mind is an Unhappy Mind,” people are happiest when doing activities that keep the mind focused. Thinking, reminiscing, or planning an activity that is not within this current moment can undermine happiness.

And of course that can lead us to another lesson learned from our animals…

3. Be happy, always.

4. Just being present is enough. I always thought the best kind of a friend is one who you can sit on a front porch with and not have to say a word.

5.  Language goes beyond words – 90% of our communication is nonverbal. While much of it is through body language, I believe, too, a lot comes from energies/our emotions. I understood a great deal of this with my work for over 5 years with children with special needs. It's as if one's lack of ability to verbally communicate is replaced with a strong sense to read people’s emotions. While working with these children, I learned it didn’t matter what I said as much as HOW I said it. When I was frustrated, the students were frustrated. If I was nervous, so were they. If I was happy and positive, they were too. Simple as that.  Realizing this, my work with special needs children came easier to me. After I began rewarding their small successes through positive reinforcement, I would see more progress with my students.

When I moved to El Salvador, I was now that child with special needs. I knew about 40 words in Spanish before being placed in a community of people where no one spoke my language.. As mentioned in #4, just the presence of another person is meaningful. I’m thankful for the patience & positive energy I felt through Salvadorians, just like I’m sure the children I worked with were appreciative of my patience and positive energy.

I say some of my best teachers in life have been non-verbal children with special needs or Salvadorians whose education doesn’t go beyond 4^th grade.

6. It's the simple things – like going for a walk. My dog will just come up and sit next to me (and awkwardly stare), until I say the magic word; walk. And then that’s it. She’s content for the rest of the day. I’ll admit, my walks out back in the woods are just as exciting for me too. It certainly doesn’t hurt to exercise and spend more time outside, especially in this beautiful fall weather.  Rides in the car, walks in the park, doing laps around the house for no apparent reason; you name it, this dog finds joy in every little thing.

7. Don’t take life seriously. – Have fun. Learn to laugh at yourself. Don’t judge yourself or others. Don’t worry about what others think. Those that do love you will love you forever, and those that don’t, just don’t matter.

8. Take naps - Even if you don't have time for a nap, take some time for yourself. Meditate. Clear your mind. Focus on your breathing. Just take a brief moment out of the day to relax. To reflect. To have "me" time.

9. Just breathe – Dogs may pant to regulate their body temperature. For us, breathing might not make us cooler, but it helps regulate our emotional temperature. In, out. Focusing on our breathing helps us concentrate more on the present moment, and it’s also a great stress reducer.

10. Don’t be afraid. Be curious. Try new things. Be adventurous. Life begins when you leave your comfort zone.

11. Forgive – Dogs don’t hold grudges. As humans, we shouldn't either; we are all intelligent enough to know people make mistakes. Learn something from you or the others mistake and move forward.

12. Treat strangers with kindness too. Don’t be afraid to look people in the eye, or maybe even say “hello” once in awhile when you pass someone on the street. It is impossible to take Maggie on a walk in town where she doesn’t feel like she has to greet EVERYONE. At least, the people love it (most of them.)

13. Spend as much time as you can with your loved ones (talk to each other, and not just via text.)  No matter where Maggie is in the house, if she hears my family talking, she always comes in the room to be part of the conversation. She’ll come in the room, sit on one of our laps, and listen until the conversation eventually fades.

14. Play – Whatever this means to YOU. Go outside, hike, bike, climb, practice yoga, laugh, have coffee with a friend, or maybe play fetch with your dog. Whatever it may be, don’t forget to take some time out of your day to do something that makes you happy and is fun.

  

It's just that simple; eat, love and be happy. I think our dogs know what is important in life :)