Take a Break

The other day I headed out the front door with Rex to go on his afternoon walk. It was a pretty day. The sun was warm, there was a nice breeze, the sky was a beautiful blue. Normally, Rex is enthusiastic about his routine neighborhood “explorations”… he can’t wait to parade down the street and check out all the new smells. However this day was different.

The minute Rex hit the porch, he threw his little head up and sniffed the air. Then he took two steps forward and slowly lowered himself to the ground and stretched out. Not just lying down, but a slow, deliberate sprawl while raising his head to the breeze. He didn’t want to walk. He just wanted to enjoy the day.

Give in

Normally, my thoughts would impatiently turn to the tasks ahead of me… after our walk I need to write that email, throw-in that load of laundry, or wash-up those dishes by the sink, etc.. But instead, I followed his lead and surrendered to the moment. I sat down on the porch beside him. He raised his face to the sun and so did I. He stretched out his legs and so did I. He closed his eyes, and so did I. I smiled as I watched his cute little nose twitch with delight as he inhaled the fresh air and all the scents around him. His world was calm and peaceful. There were no timeframes to adhere to, no crises to resolve, no chores to complete. There was no conversation or music to compete with our solitude. We watched the birds and the squirrels, we listened to the breeze blowing through the trees, we savored the warm rays of the sun. I relished in his contentment.

I really enjoyed this quiet respite from my busy world. We can learn so much from our dogs.