YOUR DOG IS ALWAYS THERE FOR YOU

Your dog is there for you

Not sometimes

Not maybe

Not never

But always

He waits for you

He watches you

He is your best friend

And when you are alone

Living alone

A marriage or relationship in the past

Your dog is your present

Your dog is your future

He is your Saturday night date

Your excuse that is not an excuse

For just staying home

He will watch your favorite TV show

He will listen to your ongoing commentary

He will tilt his head and do his best to understand

Whatever dribble is coming from your mouth

                                              R.I.P. Buster 

He will want to share all of the moments of his life

With all the moments of yours

And then he will want more

More than time can give

In the short life he lives

A dog is a gift

He comes and goes

He teaches you to love life

To love unconditionally

To love him

To love yourself

Even if you feel no one else does

There are no stronger feelings

Than those between a dog and his owner

You can say your children

But many will tell you

Their children grow up and move out

Their children start lives of their own

But your dog never starts a life of his own

He only lives one life and that entire life is with you

A dog won’t notice if you gain weight

Or if your hair turns grey

He won’t notice if you can’t fit into your old jeans

Or if your chin doubles

He will sense if you are sad

He will sense if you are lost

Always helping you find your way

Back to yourself

He will have you under his watch

From the moment you meet until the moment you part

Giving you the greatest, purest taste of love

A constant reminder of what we are here for

So kiss your dog

And if he is gone

Think of him

And he will know you are thinking of him

For he is all around you

Making sure you never forget

What love is

And one day

You will be side by side

And he will greet you

As if you went out for groceries

And finally came home

It will be a celebration

Of an unbreakable bond

That flows between you and him

And dances beyond the clouds

Drifts through the sky

And joins you in an everlasting waltz

WHAT MY DOG TAUGHT ME ABOUT LIVING IN THE PRESENT

My dog is brilliant and so is yours. Yeah they chase their tails and steal your socks and smell people's butts but they are still far more advanced than you and me in terms of their perception of time and life itself.

 So I  was watching this series on Showtime called "The Big C" (actually quite good) and the main character decided to participate in a "make my life better" type weekend conference (led by the amazing Susan Sarandon).

The metaphor/mission/message was delivered at the start of the weekend with participants receiving knapsacks that they had to fill with large rocks.

They then had to wear the knapsacks on their backs over the course of the weekend until they were able to prove that they had let go of the past - stuff like regrets, broken relationships, money not well spent.

I thought it was kind of cliche until that very night I caught myself doing the usual staring at the ceiling obsessing about the past - break ups, losses, failures and what should I eat for lunch tomorrow  and I realized I myself was carrying around a knapsack filled with rocks.

I needed to figure out a way to remove that knapsack from my aching back so I turned to the source of my joy - to the happiest - go lucky - soul I know - my dog Whisky.

"Whisky - how do you and all the dogs out there manage to live in the present? I mean you are a rescue/shelter dog with a painful past yet you are as happy go lucky as you can get."

First thing he did was open his soulful eyes and look into mine - then he slanted his eyes, showed his teeth and tilted his head (that's his smile), then finally - he spoke:

"Listen you need to chill and enjoy every moment as it comes. Look out the window. Savour every morsel of your food. Play with your Kong and try to get the cookie and peanut butter out of the center. Stop looking in the mirror at your wrinkles and the bags under your eyes and instead chase your tail or get really excited when you come home from work and see me - act as if you have not seen me in a year and every time you see me is an amazing thrill. Love your family and show them that love. Be a loyal and compassionate friend. Be thankful for every morning that you wake up to - run circles around the bed - throw me a high five! And most importantly - forget the past because you are no longer in it,  you are never going back and it has forgotten you."

Then he kissed me, turned over, farted the most wicked fart (I am sure he was smiling although I could not see) and as I lay there, my face covered by the sheets in an attempt to breathe without smelling - I reailzed he was right - I had to start living my life as if each day was my last.

And you know what? The next morning I woke up fueled with a new sense of energy, I chased Whisky around the bedroom, I joined him looking out the window (he kissed the glass - I didn't). I really savoured the taste of my toast and jam as if it was the best food I ever eaten.  I called my Mom on the way to work and told her I loved her. I sent texts out to friends making plans for the weekend and I felt lighter, I felt refreshed as if I had been given a second chance.

The knapsack had been removed from my back. The weight of each and every rock gone.  I was living somewhere between the present and the future where if you think about it; everything really happens.

Moral of the story - Listen to your Dog - he's brilliant.