What My Dog Can Teach You to About Life

“Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.”– Orhan Pamuk, Author

I was having lunch, outdoor, on the top of the hill our house is at. Khaleese, my German Wirehaired Pointer/Labrador mix was sitting next to me. Far enough to be left where she is, close enough to not miss anything.The incarnation of enlightenment. The happiest, sweetest, most content dog I have ever known; life for Khali is a sequence of predictable events eliciting consequences. That’s why I will now give her the pen and let her tell you how to reach Nirvana in a few, easy to follow, steps.

“Hi, so, you know, life is pretty easy, really. If I have to think about it, and I was asked to think about it, so I will think about it, there is only one thing you really have to do:

Show up!

“The formula for success is 2% talent, 8% luck, and 90% of showing up every day.”

― Jeffrey Fry

Always, always, always show up for what you want.

If you want to have a piece of, lets say, that cheese Bocadillo -- that is how they call sandwiches here in Spain -- my mom is eating, the one she has in her hand and is slowly but steadily disappearing, first you need to sit right there, in front of here, where the cheese is happening. That is the most important thing of all. You will never get a piece of what you want if you sit in another room. For that, you need to know where the important stuff is.

So yes, be alert and show up. That is your job to obtain what you want.

Once you show up, you need to apply everything you know that works to get a piece; such as: sit quiet and hold back excitement, lick your mouth a few times so that humans remember your presence, keep eye contact - that is very important. Always look at your goal in the eye. That is the most important thing of all, show up and keep your eyes on your target!

Always, always, always keep your eyes on your target.

So I would say, show up for what you want and keep your eyes on it. All the time.

When you get impatient, because you will get impatient, just walk in place a little, trying to make little noise. Mom does not like to be distracted or think I am begging. You might need to practice that part a little.

If you look desperate now, next time you will have to wait in another room, far from the important stuff. So I would say behave. Not sure what your mom taught you, but follow her instructions as it will make your goal closer. Humans always tell you how to get what you want, it's up to you to learn to listen.

Listen.

"Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk." --Doug Larson

Now we have three important things: show up, keep your eyes on the cheese and behave, so you can stay where good stuff happens.

That’s it.

The cheese will come. It is there, you showed up, you kept your eyes on it, you let it know you want some and behaved following the rules.

You will get some cheese. It never fails.

Sometimes you get a lot of cheese, sometimes it’s a little piece. But you will get some every time if you do this the right way.

Show up, keep your goal in sight, be patient.

It’s the same for the Frisbee. If you want to hunt, show up where it hides and then stare at it as long as you can. The Frisbee will eventually come and fly. Trust me, I know. I do this every single day. When I am not sleeping or pointing cheese, I point at the Frisbee.

It always comes.

I know how to follow the rules! Humans should too. But they are too complicated to get easy things right.

Ok, gotta go, have a Frisbee waiting for my stare.”

“Dogs never bite me. Just Humans” — Marilyn Monroe

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for liking and sharing with the big whole world ;-)

Find more on my page @ Moni V.