Enjoy life’s journey
Our pets do not have watches to keep track of time. Time doesn’t exist in a pet’s mind. The moment does! They do not worry themselves about being old. Our pet does not think: “Oh God! My life is almost over,” nor do they ask, “What have I accomplished in my life?”
Time is a concept that we as humans have come up with to mark our place in our life, and measure and count our accomplishments, gauge our happiness, etc. We let time define us, when we should define “our time.” So when we see our pets, we should look at them like a little furry Buddha, guiding us and letting them teach us the way to a happier life.
Pets establish boundaries, and we can do the same thing. Our pets are good at telling us verbally or by body language what they like or not, will agree to do something or not, etc. Humans, on the other hand, sometimes are hampered by being too “socially correct” about clearly and politely expressing what we don’t want others to do, what we are not willing to do, etc. We do this by tiptoeing around topics or softening our tone so as not to offend. While you shouldn’t feel the need to loudly broadcast your boundaries, it is okay to say no, and even say it again at times, to re-state (politely) your boundaries.
Pets know and do prioritize things in their life. They know how to relax. Both cats and dogs, when playing, running around like crazy, chasing unseen things, full speed ahead, and then stop. They pick a comfortable place, and just relax and recoup. Animals instinctively know when they need to rest. We humans have this instinct too, but we too often ignore it in favor of getting more things crossed off our never ending to-do lists. Learn from your pet, and think about how you can make rest and relaxation more of a priority in your life. It might not sound productive, but the more rested and relaxed you are, the better you’ll be in every aspect of your life.
Pets know how to focus on what is most important to them in their lives. Can we say the same about ourselves? A pet will tell you what is more important to him when he has to make choices. Like our pets, we only have just so much time, in a day, even in our whole life, so we need to be attentive of where we place our efforts and values. Take a moment, think of what is important in your life, and then consider on how much time and attention you’re giving to that part of your life. Pets teach us: Do the things that make you happy.
One of the best lessons we can learn from our pet is: stay endlessly curious. As humans, many times we are too busy and stressed, or feel we do not have time to be curious. But curiosity is one of life’s greatest gifts—and it’s free. It doesn’t stop giving if you’re open to experiencing it. As a child you no doubt were curious about a lot of things, and it gave you joy. Enjoy that curiosity once again, with a fresh perspective and hopefully newly found wisdom.
Our pets have much to teach us, we just have to be observant and open to learning. If you are fortunate enough to have a family pet – AKA a furry Guru – you have a teacher who willingly enhances your life each day in many ways.
For more information about Lake Chapala visit: www.chapala.com
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