Saturday morning, I woke up at 4 am not by choice, my mind started planning out my day in bed, I just got up and
went to the computer to take care of my usual 2 hour of answering emails and
messages. Then I sipped a cup of coffee
and read the news online which usually depresses me because of all the difficulties
in the world.
Sometimes I go back and read some of my blog posts that I have written over the last 6
years and I actually have to chuckle as I was reading a few and if I saw
anything that amused me, it was the fact that “This has been a busy week” was
quoted over and over. I’m one of those
people whose glass is always half empty and have the need to “over” fix any
problem or concern so I always plan.
At
times I dream of total peace and quiet and the ability to sleep later than 6
am. I’m sure that day will come
(hopefully) but right now it’s a fact that my life is hectic. No-one to blame but myself and it’s hard for
me to say "no" to anyone or dog that needs a hand and this has landed me in
trouble more than once.
Dog-tired,
I sat in my recliner right after lunch on Saturday. I turned on the television set to anything
that was mundane, just to make white nose and to drum out some interference, I
put my head back and went to that place where no one can enter, a place of
goodness, solitude and peace. It can be
my private abode where I can remember anything I want, to dream of a better world
and the dogs that love us no matter what kind of people we are, something we’re not always
very good at.
Before
I went to sleep, sad eyes appeared at my side and when I
sensed something was there, I opened my eyes and her look of solitude looked at me with a question, “can I come up please? and for a moment I ignored
those eyes but in just a twinkling, a furry paw reached and touched my
leg. I tapped my chest and up she came,
circled once and down for the count she went.
At first I thought it would be nice to be alone but after a few moments,
deep sleep came to her. As I drifted off
to rest, she was in dreamland. Subconsciously
I rubbed her head and stroked her fur and what a wonderful feeling it was for both of us. I know she loved it, and I did too.
I
dreamed of world where there was no strife or conflict. A place where I could do what I wanted and have
the time to do it, a place where I had all the amenities to make my life and
everyone’s around me happy, but was I really happy in my dream and was their something I didn't see?
She
dreamed of a place where she could chase a Frisbee without getting tired, a
time when she could jump up on the couch in one hop, a place where she could spend
time with her human friend for "his" lifetime, not "hers" because she knows there
is always a goodbye hovering in the shadows of a dog. In my heart, she is
always happy, something I covet. Even
though she is getting old, she makes the most of every day, starting with a
spring in her step and smile on her face but never a grievance.
“A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes
or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to them. A waterlogged stick
will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but
by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or
illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It
was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more
sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what
does not.” ― John Grogan
As
I awoke rested, my friend and companion continued to dream. What is she thinking? What is she feeling? As I stroked her leg, she opened her eyes and
licked my hand and, and I realized what I wanted most in life was here, I just needed to
look around, no, I need to look in my lap and learn.
Dogs
are simple, they want so little but give so much, more than any human usually
gives.
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Peace is easy to fine, only if we look... |
They work with what they have because
it’s enough, and happiness to them is what’s in front of them, nothing
more. We on the other hand, work and
plan and when time slows down for us, it may be too late and regrets are
near. Just this week, we had a dog over
for a stay and when the owner dropped her off, she had a bag of empty gallon milk
bottles. “What is this” I ask, “her
favorite toy, she loves it and it makes her so happy, you can’t buy a better
toy,” she said. As I remembered my sleep companion I thought,
“No you couldn’t” Sometimes it not only the simple things we have it's the way we look at things or how we approach a problem but sometime it’s usually right in front of us or in our lap... Ken