Joyful Transformation

I wrote the following several years ago when I had my daughter's puppy in the house (he later adopted me...yes it is Hooch). He has long since moved outside..... I found it in my Word archives...thought you might enjoy.
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I love dogs. They are affectionate animals that do not hesitate to show you how much they love you and how happy they are to see you. My goal for my life is to be more like a dog.

Oh, I know that you immediately think of the growling biting dog, but he is just a bit misunderstood. I think of my puppy. He greets me at the door every night with the greatest enthusiasm. He usually brings a gift for me in his mouth. Yes, sometimes he just wants me to throw it for him, but still it is for me. After this he immediately starts biting at my shoes. Two thoughts come to mind, either he knows that with my shoes off I won’t leave again, or he just knows that I hate to wear shoes. I personally prefer the latter because he also likes to grab my bra when I take it off. Yes, I hate to wear those also.

When I walk into another room, he follows me. If it is at all possible he sits where he is touching me. He sleeps under my side of the bed and licks between my toes. Yes I know that my dog loves me, and he loves being with me.

This is how I want to be more like a dog. It seems the hardest thing for us to do in our lives is to show the people we care about the most that we do indeed care for them. We have trouble admitting that we just want to be near them to touch them to do something to make them more comfortable. Sometime in our early teens this natural instinct is conditioned out of us. There are several cultures where people do not loose this instinct. They care for each other; they kiss, hug and slap each other on the back. We Americans really miss the boat here.

My goal for my life is to treat people the way I would if I were a dog. This of course means that we approach strangers cautiously; we cower away and avoid people that mistreat us. But the people who care for us, the people who make our lives easier and worth living, these are the ones to whom I will strive to demonstrate my love. I will let them know when I simply want to be near them... whether for comfort or just because....

This is how I can be more like a Dog……