10 life lessons I learned from my dog

For those of you who don’t know it yet, I am mildly obsessed with my puppy. She’s cute, fluffy, and she’s also 5 months old and already one of my biggest teachers in life. Hunny Bunny, HB, or Hunny has done nothing but bring joy to my life and teaches me how to live my  life to the fullest because that’s exactly what she does. Like a child, she takes no regard to others opinion, judgement or criticism and lives her life exactly the way her heart tells her to.

Here goes the list of 10 life lessons Hunny has taught me so far…
1.GET OUTSIDE AND ENJOY NATURE

In a lot of ways, HB and I are much the same. She loves to be outside just as much as I do. After moving into an apartment a few months ago, I found myself feeling boxed in and desiring more out of my life. A couple weeks later, I got Hunny and everything changed. I was constantly taking her out on walks. In the beginning, I was irritated by the number of walks we had to go on but as time went on I learned to appreciate the beauty of these walks. I now take notice of the color of the sky, how the trees sway in the wind, and the beautiful sounds of nature.

Now I am at a point where I want to bring her to EVERY outdoor destination there is. My puppy is a nature lover and an adventurer like mommy and deserves to see as much of the earth as I do.

My goal is let Hunny visit every state in her lifetime and as many countries as possible. After all someone has to accompany me on my world travels. 😉

2. BE HAPPY FOR NO GOOD REASON

I try to be as positive as possible but at times I’m a grump for no good reason . All it takes is few cuddles and puppy kisses from Hunny and I’m full of happiness. She’s so happy to simply be alive that you can’t help but be happy in her presence. Every time I come home I can’t help but wonder how any living being could be so happy to see me. She wags her tail like a whip, licks my face, jumps in my arms and if she’s SUPER HAPPY she even leaves mommy a little tinkle present to clean up 😉

Life has it’s ups and downs but might as well be happy while we’re at it…take it from HB herself 🙂

3. RESPONSIBILITY

Never in my life have I had a family pet or any pet for that matter. I was very excited to get my pup having always wanted one. But what a shock it was to me the amount of time, energy and responsibility it takes to raise an animal.

Week one I asked myself if I had made a mistake by getting a puppy. At the time, I was taking 5 classes, working, living on my own for the first time and on top of it all I decided to get a dog because it was too quiet around the house! (I take a moment to laugh here because my house will NEVER be quiet again.)

Having my little girl around has taught me to be more responsible with my time, my money and decision making as an adult.

4. TAKE TIME TO REST 

Hunny lives in two states of being. The first state is a hyper active psycho dog. She’s always jumping, playing, biting or running around in this mode. She’s part beagle and part jack russel so it’s only natural that she’s a bit on the CRAZY side of life. Her other side is the most sweet and loving dog on earth. It consists of HB curling up into a ball, cuddling up next to you (or on you) and passing out for a nap. The cycle continues all day long until it’s time for bed. But what I’ve learned from her cyclic behavior is how important it is to just take a step back from work (life etc.) and give yourself a break. I find myself coming back to my work feeling more refreshed, with a more clear mind and above all happier and more productive than before.

Even if it’s a 15 minute yoga break, an hour long nap or reading a chapter in a book, take it from my puppy and give yourself the rest your body needs and deserves. You won’t regret it! 

 

5. LIVE OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Hunny really inspired me the first time we ever took her to the doggy park.  When HB entered the park, it was obvious she felt outside of her comfort zone.  At first, she was so intimidated by all of the dogs running around that she didn’t know what to do. She took a moment to lay down and sat there for a few minutes. When she was ready, she warmed up to a dog, then several others and before I knew it, she was running  around the place like she owned it!

Later that same day, Hunny was scared to go in the lake at the park. This was her first time ever being around a large body of water. She stepped one paw in then the other and quickly hopped back on land .  She did this about 5 or 6 more times before she finally made that leap of faith. SHE DID IT. 

These HB moments inspire me to make leaps of faith and go after whatever my heart desires just like she does. ❤ 

 

6. ENJOY YOUR FOOD

All dogs love food and I know this. But Hunny Bunny REALLY loves her food. The first time I ever fed her, I was shocked with 1) How excited she was when I poured the food and 2) How quickly she ate the food. To this day, she eats a bowl of dog food in about 15 seconds, licks the bowl for another minute and checks every crevice around her bowl to make sure nothing is left AND periodically checks the bowl to see if I refilled it and licks it clean once more. She is so joyful and in the moment when it comes to her food.

How can you really blame her? You should be joyful and in the moment when it comes to the stuff that fuels you through EVERYTHING and tastes so good! 

I’m guilty myself of multitasking or rushing through my meal to get on with life but I’m working on it. Thanks to my pup, I’m doing my best to really enjoy what’s on my plate and taking it one task at a time to do it.

7. JUDGE NONE, LOVE ALL UNCONDITIONALLY

Of all the lessons Hunny has taught me, this one is by far the most important. Upon seeing another human, dog, living creature etc. Hunny becomes instantly elated. She doesn’t care how tall you are, what color your skin is, how big or small you are or what the color of your hair (or fur) is, she just wants to love you. ❤ She will rush over to any person/dog and cover them in kisses, love and wags her tail as if her life depended on it. She could care less if you want nothing to do with her or you don’t want her near you, she’ll wag on and remain elated as we walk by you 😉

This is something that I find myself working on each and everyday. I do my best to not judge anyone  but it’s still not perfect.  I’ve realized at the end of the day you don’t know what another person is going through and its best to just love them regardless…even if they don’t want to pet you 😉

8. STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES

The first time I realized Hunny appreciated the little things in life happened about a week after I got her. While out on walks, I noticed she would suddenly pause, fix her gaze and then move on. On this particular day, I decided to scope out what she was so fixated on and realized she was watching a bumble bee pollinate a pink flower. It was amazing to me that I was blessed by this beautiful animal in my life who literally stops to “smell the roses”. Instead of hurrying her along on her walks I allow her to investigate whatever it is catches her eye. This morning it was a dove, other times we see squirrels, lizards, frogs, insects and even kitty cats.

Being curious about the world around you and investigating it really helps you appreciate how beautiful this planet really is.

9. PATIENCE

They aren’t lying when they say that patience is a virtue. Patience just like anything else that’s hard to master in life takes…patience. 🙂 Hunny has helped me learn patience like no one as ever been able to before. Potty training more than anything has been my biggest teacher of patience. Puppies, like human babies can’t hold their bladders for very long and I had to learn to lower my voice, become more sympathetic and patient with the process because after all she wont be a puppy forever. 😦

10. HAVE FUN 

Life is hard sometimes and we’ll always be dealing with some sort of problem but you might as well make the best of it and have fun along the ride. I find myself at times so serious and wound up about the little things that I feel terrible.

Hunny lives her life as if everyday is the most fun day of her life and she is teaching me to do the same. She will play with a ball around the house for hours having the time of her life, she’ll chase others dogs until she can’t breathe with a big smile on her face and she’s never too tired to play with you.

My point is that no matter what her circumstance is , she always has it in her to have fun and so should you!