I am currently house sitting for a sweet and wise 14 year old
miniature schnauzer named Harley Davidson. Most of my experience in the
animal kingdom resides with cats and horses, though since arriving on
Vancouver Island, I have developed a love and respect for dogs. They
are highly intelligent beings. It's not that I didn't think they were,
it is more that I had yet to witness their intelligence first hand on an
intimate level.
Let me give an example: the other
evening I asked Harley to get "horsie" from a big basket of stuffed
animals. He disappeared and then minutes later came back with the horse
stuffed animal in his mouth...from a BIG basket of various animals! I
was amazed.
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| The dogs are having their afternoon get together. Harley is the one with the Harley Davidson sweater on! |
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Animals can be our greatest teachers. Harley is definitely teaching
me patience. When it takes me 15 minutes to get him out of my car, or
when I have to plea with him to eat his breakfast so I can give him his
daily insulin dose, I find my patience level being put to the test.
What I find helpful in cultivating patience is breathing....taking long
deep and slow inhales and exhales. My goal is to take five big breaths
and by that time my patience usually settles in. If not, then I often
resort to a couple minutes of alternate nostril breathing. That
technique always works: it is so wonderful in balancing the mind! I
suppose it also helps to be surrounded by an abundance of beauty. :o)
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| Beachcomber Park - Nanoose Bay |
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