Chances are, you’ve probably had a pet at one point of your life or another. And you’ve most likely noticed that your dog or cat (or horse or ferret or hey, even your snake) was really, really good at one thing in particular. In fact, it was much, much better than you or I will probably ever be at…
Existing.
Just…being.
Dogs, in particular, are fantastic at the art of being. They play when they want to. They run when they want to. They sleep when they want to. They chew on things when they want to. They greet you when they want to. Their whole existence revolves around doing what they feel like in the moment. And they’re happy about it. Genuinely, authentically, unconditionally happy.
We don’t think we’re allowed to be like this.
Because we’re sentient. We’re conscious. We’re smarter than that. If dogs knew any better, they might not live in the moment. They might have dreams and aspirations. If they lived as long as us AND had consciousness, they might have a five-year plan, a higher degree, a business of their own. They might make something of themselves.
You know what else they might create? Fear. Apathy. Relationship issues. Chronic medical conditions. Quarter-life crises.
For all of our consciousness, for all of our longevity, how many of you can say you’ll ever be as happy about anything as your dog is about everything?
The thing is, animals are much wiser, much more advanced than we give them credit for. Dogs, especially, come into the world already understanding presence, joy and unconditional love. They don’t muck it up with fear and doubt and over-analysis. They just live. And they love. And they’re sublimely happy about it.
Your consciousness isn’t a bad thing. Your sentience, your evolution, your grasp of higher language…you wouldn’t have it if it weren’t a gift. But these gifts weren’t designed to make you feel bad about yourself. Just because you have the ability to overthink things, to overanalyze, to judge yourself constantly, doesn’t mean you need to. It’s OK to not be productive sometimes. It’s OK to put the brakes on. You can stop doing that thing that drags you down. You can let go of things that have too much weight to them.
It’s OK to enjoy existing. It’s more than OK to just be. It’s in those moments of being that we receive intuitive hits; it’s when our creative juices begin to flow.
Give yourself permission to be more…animalistic. Release the fear, the worry, the preoccupation with the future. It’s not serving you. Replace it with faith, love, and joy in the present moment. Trust that it’s all going to work out. Take a nap. Be leisurely. Spend all weekend reveling in the joy of doing nothing…or do everything you want, and nothing you don’t want.
Enjoy what it feels like to just be alive, because hey, your dog definitely is.
Much Love,
Kristen & Rachel
