Perspective
This past week, I had the opportunity to disengage, unwind, and allow myself to take a step back and observe life from a fresh perspective. I was on vacation. And when on vacation, it is important to ‘vacate’ your present, for just a second at least, which allows your mind to have much needed TLC. Humans unfortunately have the awful habit of getting stuck in the go-go-go and worrying more about tomorrow than even considering the possibilities of today. Dogs, however, are the exact opposite. Dogs live purely in the moment. Every hour. Every minute. Every day. The moment, to a dog, is all that matters. One of the many reasons I love working with dogs is for this exact reason. They do not hold the accounts of yesterday to any real measure. Today is all that matters. What they want to see from us, is if we are on the same page. And when we are not, well, that’s when the problems begin.
In my journey of achieving fresh perspective, I spent time with other people’s dogs. I think it’s just as important for dog’s to socialize as it is for human’s to take in life and lessons from dogs that are not their own. One dog in particular that truly made my vacation was a beautiful Goldendoodle named Izzy. Izzy is still young, but extremely social, patient, and a wonderful family dog. Watching her swim in the lake, or ride on the boat, wind her in hair, enjoying the moment, helped me to really sit back, relax, and appreciate all that life has to offer. I applauded my friends for the great job they are doing in bringing up such a lovely dog—because everyone’s hard work should be rewarded! While it was lovely to spend time with my family in a beautiful place, it was a dog that really helped me find some much needed mental peace.
Whatever helps you gain fresh perspective, take the steps to achieve it. The clarity I received by existing with Izzy helped me to not only have a great vacation, but it helped me come home refreshed, refueled, and ready to be an even better dog trainer and dog owner. We owe it to our dogs to take a moment to ourselves, in order to be the best ‘in the moment’ leaders we can be, for them!