A Life Lesson From My (Occasionally Annoying) Dog

by Robin Sacks

· Stress Less,Stress Management,Calm,Pay Attention,Self-Awareness
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I was walking my dog this morning and had an epiphany (thanks to her being a bit of a nudge!). Just like most mornings, we take a longer walk before I jump into my self-imposed list of tasks for the day.

My beagle, Lucy, does this same thing all the time, but I never really thought about it the way I thought about it on this particular morning.

Our morning walks usually cover the same ground; we walk up our street, go north one block, follow the lake until we get to the next cross street, go one block south and walk back down our street until we get home. But sometimes, usually when it is really hot or really cold, I choose a shorter route that consists of only walking up our street for a couple of side streets, then going south for a couple blocks, before heading back home via a long school driveway that brings us back to our street.

When Lucy and I take this second, shorter route, she has a habit; a habit that always drives me crazy (and not in a good way!). The school driveway that we walk up has a large, grassy field next to it. Lucy makes a point to pull to try to walk in the field instead of staying next to the driveway.

On some days, I give in and we simply walk across the field towards our home. However, if the field is wet, muddy, or snow-filled, we stay on the driveway.

On this morning's walk, Lucy kept pulling and pulling into the field. Since it's pretty wet, and therefore muddy, I pulled back to keep her on the driveway...all the time telling her (as if she understood) that it was too wet to walk in the field and to just chill out and enjoy the rest of her walk.

That's when it hit me.

Lucy was doing something we all do at times that wreaks havoc on our success, our stress levels, and our relationships. She was so busy trying to get somewhere else that she was missing the very thing she wanted...a nice walk.

Take a look at your life and find the places where you're pulling on the leash to get somewhere else, and make a choice to simply be in the moment. If you slow down and look around, you may find that you already have what you are seeking.

WRITTEN by Robin Sacks (and Lucy)

Professionally, I'm a Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, and Author.

Personally, I'm a mom, wife, and friend.

I live for bad puns and cozy mysteries.

Learn a lot more at https://www.robinjsacks.com.

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