In life as in Triathlon/Endurance sports, there is a journey of discovery and many lessons to learn and mistakes to make along the way.The often used cliche.
Having a Dog at this point in my life has changed if not skewered the way I see life and my training , sport and fitness. Even an animal such as a Dog , non communicative , for many a lesser being then humans , can teach us valuable lessons .Lessons they don't set out to teach , but are instinctive in their nature.
These are:
Loyalty and Love Unconditionally
First and foremost Loyalty to the group they are with , her family. They do not know mistrust and hate , but are loyal in their time and their instinctive ability to know when to be there and to just be themselves to comfort and care. They love unconditionally and repay the warmth of home and family tenfold.
Sleep
Try to have as much rest and sleep as possible .It is good for the body and it is good for the soul . Watching Molly sleep , her lungs inhaling and exhaling air and her diaphragm moving in rhythm is relaxing in itself and it is vital to getting the best out of ourselves.
Food
She loves food and is not a purveyor of all that is good for her. But in retrievers with a very high incidence of cancer in the breed , the lesson is sometimes we have to set the standards of what is healthy and good for her . Being firm and strong is hard and having the discipline to carry through on maintaining a healthy and balance diet is important. It is caring and taking responsibility
Play
We must all have time to relax and play .Downtime and just not having a plan or a goal or doing something is constructive. the world is complicated ,busy and technology filled to the point where every second is driven with absorbing information or doing several tasks on the go. Whilst as wonderful and efficient as it is compared to 20 years ago , just not doing anything probably helps the grey cells recharge. Molly does lots of this and dogs never lose their innocence if owners allow them to be themselves.
Exercise/ stretch/ smell the Roses
Retrievers were born to run , and chase and swim and retrieve .They aim to please but also they love it . She seeks out puddles to sit on them, she drives towards the waters edge dying to jump in , she chases seagulls on the beach and swims across rivers. She stretches when she gets up and shakes her body and wiggles on her back . She sniffs and picks scents on her walks. She lives life to the full . If only I did more of the stretching and smelling the Roses .
Don't fight
She retreats and is friendly to all other animals . Gets along with all dogs and avoids the ones who growl. Her disposition is to avoid a fight.
Forgive
Dogs forgive. Or maybe they don't harbor anger or ill feeling at all. If only we could cut away the cancer or hate and anger each day from minds and live in the moment and day and move on.
Compassion/Empathy
If there was one great attribute it is Compassion and Empathy .They know when you are sad and unwell and when you are happy . They are alive and tuned to every sound, smell and vibe.
Trust your instincts
We probably lose ours by the time we are five. Dogs never do.They leap at it as only dogs know how
without fear .They trust their instincts and gallop full on . If only we could live as they do .
Things don't matter
Dogs don't care about material things .They want your company , your attention and devotion. that is all that matters , being and living in the present and enjoying the moment.
Love unconditionally and you will be rewarded 10fold.
