Walking your dog is a metaphor for life.
I’m a dog mom. My sweet boy’s name is Captain. Hes a 7-year-old German Sheperd and we adore each other. One of my/our self care activities is going for walks/jogs down the country roads near our house. Before I became a therapist and started my own therapy journey I use to get frustrated on walks with him (and our recently deceased 10.5 year old GSD Elsa- RIP sweet girl). Why was I a freak on these walks? My dogs were intuitively teaching me important lessons in life and I wasn’t aware to them at the time. Now, my walks/jogs with Cap are much more enjoyable because I have become open to the lessons he teaches me. Here are some of the life lessons I’ve learned:
Resistance, patience and acceptance… If Cap’s energy is bleh one day but I want to jog, he resists me because he’s not feelin’ it that day… and vice versa if he wants to GO and I want to take it slow, I resist him. These moments have taught me to exercise patience, pay attention to each of our needs each day and accept each other’s limitations instead of resisting them. I’ve learned that when I force what I want and he doesn’t reciprocate, I create a painful/strained experience for the both of us. It’s much more pleasant when I accept what unfolds in the moment between us.
Flexibility verses rigidity… I’m a competitive runner and many of my runs have a “prescribed” pace. Meaning, I have to run at a certain pace to achieve the desired goal. I’ve learned that I must be flexible with my time and pace when I take Cap with me on jogs. HE isn’t enrolled in a training program. HE doesn’t have a coach. HE doesn’t have marathon training goals… But I do. When I subject MY pace goals onto him, and he doesn’t comply, I become frustrated and annoyed. I must remember that my goals are mine and mine alone. When I get rigid with others (animals included) I’m like an uncooked spaghetti noodle and can SNAP under pressure (self-imposed or not). This is not good for anyone, including me. I’m allowed to be rigid with myself if I want to be, but I should be flexible with others. Everyone has a better time this way.
Living in the moment… Captain doesn’t think about the future. He just lives in the here and now. When we’re walking, he frequently stops to smell interesting things, cocks his head to the side and listens to the neighbor’s cows bellow, looks up at me and rubs his body on my side wanting head pets or kisses. He isn’t thinking about anything else but right then and there. Pure beauty. He’s not worried about anything but just looks forward to the next cool thing on our walk. For anxiety or depressive prone people, this is a valuable lesson to learn. Life is much fuller and inspiring when we live in the moment vs living in the past (depression) or the future (anxiety).
Unconditional love… Even if I’m having an anxious day or moody moment, Cap still loves and accepts me no matter what. He forgives me when I feed him off his schedule, get too stern with him on our walks, or accidentally clip his quick when I’m trimming his nails. I repair our relationship and we’re back on track. Dogs love with such grace. Captain is teaching me to do the same with myself.