Lessons from my dog

Everyday I see the same lady walking her dog, a sweet yellow lab.
She walks her dog talking on her cell phone...loudly.
The whole neighborhood can hear her personal conversations!
Each day, I think, "Man, that's so weird...I can't believe she would talk so loudly! 
Doesn't she realize how weird that is?!"

Then, I listened to myself walking around the neighborhood...
It would be better if I actually was talking on a cell phone, because then it would make sense that I was talking so loudly.  Nope, I'm not as normal as the lady walking her yellow lab.

I just have full-length conversations with my dog.

No, really.  I do.

I talk to Murphy as if he can respond and

interject ideas into the conversation.

This is my normal.

Strange...yeah, I guess so.

Does anyone ever say anything to me about it?

Nah...they see me everyday.

I'm that girl with the border collie that talks to him like a person.

Somehow, it seems totally normal to me.

And I'm not going to change a thing.

Lessons I learned from my dog:

8. Spend time out in nature everyday.
This can be a tough one...like today when we were walking against the wind and the rain was pelting straight in our faces.

7. Routines are helpful.
Murphy has very specific tasks to complete everyday.  Sniff, check his messages, sniff, go to his creek, look for critters, and the list goes on and on. 

6. SPLASH!
Splash in puddles.  Splash in the creek.  Splash in a kiddy pool.  Splash often and with great zest.  Not only will you get some exercise, but you will also have a lot of fun.

5. Discernment
Not everyone should be trusted. Murphy knows this and looks at strangers with a suspicious eye. I tend to be more trusting, but have learned that people need to earn that trust. It takes awhile to earn that trust...cautiously weighing whether or not someone is trustworthy. Murphy knows this well, but once he trusts someone, he trusts them wholeheartedly. I like that.

4. Small is better
Thirteen is Murphy's magic number...he has thirteen humans that he trusts.  I have a few more people that I trust, but I've been around a bit longer.  :0)  I agree with him though.  I would much rather have a small group of trusted people than a whole bunch of people that are just superficial friends. 





3. Challenge yourself.
Each day Murphy climbs a tree.  The first time he tried it, he was really nervous and only made it a step up onto the trunk.  Then, each day he would try again.  Sometimes he would fall, but he was determined to continue.  I would encourage him and soon he went higher and higher and higher.  Now, he can get 5 1/2 feet off the ground...and is determined to go even higher.











2. Use your imagination.
Sometimes we see a squirrel or five.  Sometimes we see birds.  We have never, ever seen a mole.  That doesn't stop Murphy from looking for moles every single day.  He believes that someday he will find one and enthusiastically hunts for them everyday.  Your imagination is vital and can be essential to achieving your dreams....even if your dream is just a mole.

1. Smile.
As we head home after playing in the park, Murphy always has a big smile plastered on his face.  Not only has he had a fantastic time, completed all of his tasks, but he is happy to have his human home.  Some people might think that dogs can't smile, but they just haven't met my dog.  He smiles all of the time...I like to think that he learned it from me, but he is a natural smiler.