Living in the now: a dogs perspective

“Where do you hide something of incredible value these days”?

In the present, because no-one will ever think to look there.

All this urgency

All this rushing, this constant connection, webinars, Teams calls, Skype, Zoom and heaven knows what else. As long as we are connected and feeling relevant, apparently that’s the measure of the person these days.

What the hell are we doing to ourselves?

Yes, I know that we all need to work, earn a living, remain effective and ever so efficient but do we have to be so addicted to the outside world that we miss everything of value waiting for us on the inside?

On the inside

Inside our homes?

Within our souls?

In those fleeting moments?

Are we so busy making a living that we have totally forgotten how to live?

Those moments will never be given back and when that child has grown up, or the partner has strayed, or the dog no longer recognises you, will the outside world that has you so enslaved give a damn? Will they be there to support you or shed a tear for your loss? Will the sacrificed moments ever be worth more in the future than they are right now, in the present moment?

My reflections

Just to be clear, these are all questions I am asking myself as I close out another 10 hour day. Questions that seem to be raising their voices just a tad louder these days.

Oh, did I mention that I really do enjoy what I do, and work with a great team of people? Imagine if I hated what I do and worked with some let’s just say “not such pleasant” people. Life would very quickly have lost its colour and I would be struggling to rationalise the meaning of it all.

I am one of the privileged few, however, and I am exceptionally grateful for the home I get to work from, my partner, family, friends and career choices, yet I can strongly feel the impact of this “always-on” work-life “imbalance” in my life. I cannot see this boding well for us humans if this continues.

We really do need a little shakeup so that we can wake up and smell the roses before our lives are filled with regrets. How long will each one of us wait before we take back some control of our precious moments? Are the stories we tell ourselves about the risks of not always being available, for any and every work requirement, at any inconceivable time really true?

I think not.

What our pets can teach us

I wanted to share some insights from Man’s Best Friend, yes our pets, mostly dogs, ok and some cats 😀, not Instagram.

These are from a book written by Eckhart Tolle called Guardians of Being: Spiritual teachings from Our Dogs and Cats and gifted to me by my wife some time back. I think she may have been sending a “gentle” message of her own. I will let you decide 🧐.

Here goes – now pay attention dear reader:

  • Your pet is so joyful because it has no opinion of itself, it just IS. How often do your concerns about others’ opinions of you keep you locked to the screen longer than is truly, genuinely necessary?
  • Your pets have not forgotten how to celebrate being in the here and now. When last did you truly notice the here and now? What did you see?
  • While your happy moments may be rare, your dog celebrates life continuously. When last did you experience a genuinely happy moment, away from a screen, without feeling all that GUILT about what you should be doing?
  • Your pets realise that LIFE IS AWESOME, and they don’t need to tell themselves a story about life being good, they get that it JUST IS. What stories do you tell yourself keeping you locked to that screen for hours longer than necessary while life passes you by?
  • Humans say “I love myself” or “I hate myself”. Your dog says WOOF, WOOF which translates to “I AM MYSELF”. Do you recall how to be yourself? Do you remember who that self is? When last did you see that self?
  • When taking your pet for a walk, people often come up to say hi, not to you but to the dog, and immediately their hearts open. I guess they know the dog won’t judge their “bad hair day” or have an opinion about them based on their non-branded clothing, status or lack thereof. The dog offers them a precious opportunity of being loved and loving unconditionally. How liberating would it be if we cared just a little less about all those others’ opinions? Imagine the gifts we could offer others if we surrendered some of our opinions?

And we still think that we are the more evolved species?

Back to living

Imagine fully participating in the dance of life once again.

Let’s do it NOW while we still can. Let’s join our pets and celebrate the precious moments of LIFE while we still have them.

Let’s notice those around us.

Let’s notice ourselves without all the “stuff” that keeps us so unavailable to life.

Let’s once again notice the soul within, searching for connection in a world only focussed on connecting.

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