The Real Lesson a Dog Teaches

11 years ago when I got my pup Julio Iglesias Garcia (yes, that's his name and no he doesn't sing like him), I never thought I'd learn as many lessons as I have about life. The saying goes "You never know what (insert verb here) until...". You'll mostly hear it from new parents that are deeply impacted by a child. Why not? They just had their world turn inside out. You never know what love is until you have a child.

Although that may be true to that individual, you could literally input anything into that saying and it would be absolutely true.

You never know what love is, until you become a foodie.

You never know what love is until you watch them fail.

You never know happiness until you jump out of a plane.

You never know fear until you've seen your life flash before your eyes.

I would like to add to that, You never know the secrets of life until you have a pet.

Julio has taught me so much, from how a belief is created, to understanding the importance of a nap. The gamut is wide with this Jedi master of a trainer and I am all in when it comes to deconstructing the nuggets he showers upon me.

Recently, we were on a routine hike. It's a hike that we've done many times over. It was no surprise, and there wasn't anything new to be seen or smelled. On this certain stretch of the trail, it's an opportunity to let loose and explore. There are these unique bird sounds that make him and his sister Celia go crazy (although now I think it's the sound of a ground squirrel), so it's the perfect time to find them wherever they can.

What happened next was completely a surprise.

Being 11, Julio is no spring chicken. He loves to take naps and hates it when Celia gets to energetic (it's like every Lethal Weapon movie where Julio plays the part of an older Danny Glover and Celia is the young Mel Gibson). So when i get to see him spring into action, it's awesome and I encourage it. This was one of those moments.

For some reason, he decides to jump in the nearby waterbed that stretches along the trail (which he never does) and run up and down in full play mode. Celia completely surprised by the move, joins in and the two spring up the pathway jumping through the water at top speed. What a sight to see! It's like he was a 3 year old pup in full play mode. 5 minutes later, he comes out the other end as wet as can be, perfect for the hot day and remainder walk ahead.​

I don't know what caused him to do that, and really, it doesn't matter. What matters most was hime taking that moment, seizing the opportunity and playing like a kid again on a random Monday morning walk. And that's when the wheels in my brain start turning (like they typically do when I see something inspirational). Want to know what my takeaway was?

PLAY IN THE MOMENTS AND THEY WILL MATTER

Julio didn't think about tomorrow's agenda, he didn't think about what he would eat later that day, he wasn't concerned with the lack of sleep he had the night before or whether or not Celia would let him run, not even focused on what I thought.

Julio was in the moment.

He had one thought on his mind. Wouldn't it be fun to run in the water? And he did. I wish we could take a moment like that and do the same. That we could not be focused on anything other than just enjoying that moment. For Julio it was a run through the water on a hike. For you, it could be reading that book you've always wanted to read, drawing that amazing artwork you love, spending time with your child, showering 5 minutes longer than normal, drinking a glass of wine by yourself.

It could be anything!

imagine if that were to happen more often than not, i wonder what life would be like? Do you think you'd be happier or filled with joy? Would your cup be filled or feel energized? Would you then experience the love or feel appreciated? Well, that's for each one of us to decide, but I would imagine the probability of feeling those feelings would be much higher.

So take a tip from a dog on a normal day, doing the most normal of routines and stop to enjoy the moment that is presented to you. You never know when it could turn into the kind of moment that you've always imagined.

Cheers,

JG