It’s hard to feel mindful these days. We want to practice mindfulness in our everyday lives, but there’s always that pressure pulling us away from the moment. Perhaps we can take a lesson from man’s best friend on this ever-elusive state of mind.
Why is it so hard to be mindful?
Maybe there’s a conversation going on in your head that distracts you from the current task.
Maybe you’re thinking of all the things you still have left to do in a limited amount of time.
Take a Mindfulness Lesson from Man’s Best Friend
Sometimes we just have to look to the ultimate teacher of mindfulness: your dog.
Do you love dogs? Lots of people do. Why do we love dogs? Because of their unfailing appreciation for the simple things and their joy in being with us, just simply being.
Next time you want to be mindful but forget how, just take out a tennis ball and walk outside to the backyard, with your tail-wagging dog following along. Just a few tosses of the ball and your dog is right in that blissful moment. It’s that state of mindfulness that he’s so good at without even trying.
Your dog’s gift for being mindful is what makes him or her so overjoyed to watch you walk through the door every evening when you come home after being out or at work.
If your dog wasn’t built for mindfulness, what would he do when you came home after leaving him all day?
Maybe he’d be seething in resentment, thinking that you had done him wrong by leaving him alone.
Maybe instead of chasing the ball he would look at you anxiously, wondering when you were going to leave again.
Instead of lamenting the past or worrying about the future, your dog is right in that present moment and that is what we strive for when we practice mindfulness in our lives.
Your Dog Has a Lot to Teach You About Mindfulness in Everyday Life
Imagine the quality of our relationships and how our connection with others could reach newer and more meaningful levels if we just followed suit with our dog as the guide in how to be mindful.
Instead of keeping lists of the times when our partner dissed us, we could let go of those old grievances and move on to a happier way of relating and being together.
Instead of letting worries or anticipation of the future rob us of the here and now, we could be fully present with the people that mean most to us.
Instead of worrying that we are going to drop the ball or that someone is going to criticize us for throwing the ball wrong, we could just simply enjoy the act of going after that ball, watching it sail through the air, using the strength of our muscles to propel the ball through time and space.
Mindfulness Tips and Wisdom from Your Dog
- If we could be mindful like our dog, we would just be happy for simple companionship, and everyone would get a tail wag.
- If we could be mindful like our dog, we wouldn’t feel the need to always want more out of our conversations. Sometimes whatever is just is, and that’s okay.
- If we could be mindful like our dog, we would stop criticizing the people we love and instead appreciate them in all of their uniqueness.
- If we could be mindful like our dog, we would stop complaining about a few drops of rain, and just enjoy the great outdoors no matter what the weather was.
- If we could be more mindful like our dog, we could see the opportunity in any given moment. Appreciate a good nap. Pivot on a situation to get the most out of it and flow with our life.
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