Here is my resolution for the new year:  "To be as good as my dog Maisie thinks I am".  Does that sound familiar to you?  You may have even seen that slogan affixed to a magnet on your grandmother's refrigerator:  "My goal in life is to be as good as my dog thinks I am."  I saw it recently on the back of an old Subaru in the form of a bumper sticker.  As I was sitting in traffic that day listening to a radio talk show host pontificate about the pathetic state our country is presently in, I found myself drawn to a sun streak that swept across the winter sky in front of me. There it is!  The silver (or gold in this case) lining in an otherwise dismal winter sky.  While I studied the sky for a moment and thinking about the good in my life,  I heard a contented gutteral sigh being emitted from the seat behind me.  I turned around to find Maisie, my 2 year old White Labrador Retriever sitting on her favorite blanket, staring out the window, with what appeared to be a big grin on her face.  All animal lovers know that our pets do have a sense of humor and have the ability to smile.

 

Why do we love our pets?  I believe because they represent the best in us:  enthusiasm, creativity and unselfishness, to name just a few of our assets as humans.  We can learn so much from our four-legged friends, perhaps we should turn to them as we seek out our inspiration and aspirations for the new year.

 

Imagine waking up to a world filled with endless possibilities.  Your senses tingle with every motion, scent and sound.  You devote each day to indulging your natural curiosities, exploring and playing.  Think about your typical day.  How often do you seek out new experiences and ideas?  Do you introduce playfulness as you interact with others?  Do you embrace each new day as an opportunity?  To our pets, each day is an adventure, unburdened by the clock or personal baggage.  Their world is a stage, where they are free to act out their daydreams (they do have dreams you know - watch them as they sleep).

They remain inquisitive, filled with a sense of wonder.  Maybe it is this outlook that is really missing from our lives. 

 

 

With our dogs (and feline friends too), what you see is what you get.  They aren't self-conscious and don't hide their feelings (only their bones and sometimes your underwear).  Their joie de vivre (that's French for love of life), from their bouncy step to their eager bark and expressive meow, is instinctive, and true to form, it represents the truth.  They are faithful to the very end.  Dogs, in particular, are comfortable with who they are and they never miss a chance to make a friend.  There are no hidden agendas with them.  Our peers want a relationship with the real person inside of us, for it is our genuine self that inevitably determines our legacy.

 

So, it is with the inspiration that I received from my four-legged friend, Maisie, the white labrador retriever, that earned the top spot on my new years resolution list: 

 1.  May I be as good or an even better person than my dog already thinks I am 

 

Let us hear how your four-legged friends inspire you as think about the change you wish to create in your life in 2009!