Man's Best Friend

This is Charlotte. She’s a Labrador Retriever/Shepard mix.

This is Chevy. He’s a special breed mix—what breeds, we don’t really know.

I have some questions about Charlotte and Chevy . . .

• Why is it that Charlotte physically shakes from love every time we hug her?
• Why does Chevy cry from happiness when we come home?
• Why is it that when we pet the spot that Charlotte likes the most, we know she appreciates it?
• Why does Chevy sadden when we go out for the night?
• Why are they both willing to play with us any time we decide we want to play?

And

• Why do they love us unconditionally?

I don’t seek the answers to these questions by typing them into a search engine; nor do I care to open up a dog psychology book. I seek different answers to my questions—answers that are more complex and revealing than simply, “We feed them,” “We are their mommy and daddy,” or “We saved them.”

I believe these questions can be answered by taking a mindful approach to understanding Charlotte and Chevy and our relationship with them. Here are some answers I’ve arrived at:

• Charlotte does not differentiate too often between her mind and her body, so her love naturally emanates through her heart and all throughout her body. She does not try to control her love, so we see it and feel it when we get close to her.
• Chevy misses us while we are away, so he wants us to know that he is thrilled to see us and be in our presence again.
• When we take the time to please Charlotte by petting her in a spot she likes, she demonstrates generosity while showing her appreciation. We derive some pleasure from that act of giving, too.
• Chevy is sad when we leave, because he lives in the moment and has no guarantee that a future will present itself for us to be together again. He truly enjoys each moment in our presence.
• Both Chevy and Charlotte are willing to play with us whenever we choose, because they like to please us, they enjoy the present moment, and they appreciate having fun.

And

• They love us unconditionally because we are ALIVE, just like they are ALIVE.

Charlotte and Chevy can teach us a great deal about how to live. By learning to live mindfully—as they do so naturally and effortlessly—we create the potential to receive more fulfilling answers to the questions that peak our curiosity and leave us puzzled. Mindfulness takes practice. It takes effort. It requires us to be aware of what’s around us and within us, to tune in to what we are sensing, and to live deliberately in the present moment.

 Today, let’s start being more present—for ourselves and for our loved ones!