One of the absolute best decisions my husband and I ever made was to finally decide to get a dog. Yes. Yes. Our kids were the absolute BEST but a very, very close 2nd is our dog. Our beautiful “canine daughter” is our 2-year-old fawn boxer named Layla I am utterly in puppy love with her.
We joke we decided to have kids first, you know the “easy stuff”, and see how we did with them before we decided to try to have a dog. I’m not sure our kids think it is so funny to view themselves as a parental “experiment”, but I think it’s pretty funny…..
The truth is, we had wanted a dog our entire married life, but for a myriad of reason, it never seemed the “right time” to bring a dog into our lives. Somehow, we must have been ready and the perfect dog must’ve been ready for us at the simultaneously as we are now, dog owners. Or she owns us. I am not sure.
So today, I took Layla out with me for a run. I’m in taper-mode for Marine Corps Marathon. Although my runs are now shorter, the truth is I’m really tired and needed motivation today. I needed to have her with me.
When Layla wasn’t smelling every tree/fire hydrant/bush along the course or scaring herself with her own shadow (she looks intimidating but is really a HUGE wimp!), I was able to truly enjoy the moments of running with her and think about the various ways Layla brings me “peace” and offers me lessons on life.
Lessons learned through the eyes of my dog…..
- Live each day with joy! (She is the happiest living creature I’ve ever met. Each day is a joy!)
- Eat when you’re hungry. (She “free eats”, eating only when she’s hungry even though food is always available. Someone does need to be in the room, too. She’s a “social eater.” I’m quite certain, however, that she’s never thought to herself…. “do I look fat in my fur?”)
- Sleep when you’re tired. (She wakes up for the day and then thinks about taking another nap. Nice. I want that life!)
- Play well with others. (She loves EVERYONE. All dogs. All people. Discriminating taste she does not necessarily have, but a lover of all, she definitely is. And I for one LOVE that about her. She could teach a world peace seminar just be watching )
- Never miss out on the opportunity to take a walk/run with someone you love. (No matter how tired I am after a run, or how tired we are at the end of a long work day, Layla is there waiting ever so patiently to go on a walk.)
- Always, always let those you love know, you love them. (As I walk in the door each day, I never doubt how much she loves and adores me. Life offers no guarantees of tomorrow, have you told the one you love today how important he/she is to you?)
In the words of one of my all time favorite cartoonists/authors (Ok, I really don’t have a laundry list of these but you will agree, this one is brilliant!), “Happiness is a warm puppy.” Charles M. Schulz.
Peace & Happy Running today (and if you can run with your dog, do it. If you don’t have a dog, perhaps borrow your neighbors? I know mine is always looking for a running friend, and as I stated before, she isn’t incredibly loyal, she’ll run with probably anyone!)
20 days until Marine Corps Marathon!
peaceinthejourney 