Pearls of Wisdom from My Dogs

As we begin the dog days of summer with the solstice on June 20, I wanted to share some pearls of wisdom that I have picked up over the years from my dogs, Ella and Mala.

• Don’t simply express your joy; unleash it - wholeheartedly!

• Always greet loved ones with enthusiasm and unconditional love, and strangers with a healthy amount of caution.

• Enjoy the journey: take time to stop and smell the roses, enjoy the mountain vista, or take a dip in a cool river.

• When things get too crazy, seek shelter.

• Live in the moment, and play every day.

• Drink lots of water.

• Trust your instincts.

• Be curious about the world around you.

• Get plenty of sleep, and stretch when you rise.

• Keep digging until you find what you want.

Animals have a lot to teach us about staying connected, and truly being alive. As Gene Baur put it in his book Farm Sanctuary, animals are “always engaged in the world around them…they are connected to the physical world in a way that humans seem to have lost. Isn’t that what we need to do: reclaim our own animal natures after being production units for too long? To grasp the possibilities of being alive and empowered, rather than enslaved by old habits and assumptions as we sit and work in our individual cubicles? The animals show us the enjoyment of simple pleasures and of being in the moment.”

This summer, enjoy the simple things and live wholeheartedly!