Dog (God spelled backwards)
As I sit here relaxing on a lazy morning, my dog a few feet away, I realize that I have much to learn from this sweet boy. His ability to peacefully be in the present moment, is one I greatly admire.
It seems to me that we spend most of our time floating between what will happen next, and what has already occurred. This keeps us from truly basking in the beauty the present moment offers. So often we are trapped in the endless cycle of worrying about what our future holds, while simultaneously dissecting actions from our past-often judging those same actions. It’s part of our programming and most times we aren’t even consciously aware that we’re doing it.
There are, of course, those instances where “time stands still,” when we are so deeply immersed in an activity that brings us joy and love, that past and future don’t exist. In these exquisite moments is where our greatest level of awareness-our deepest connection to God/Source can be felt. These moments, when we are simply “in the flow” provide us the opportunity to experience life as we are meant to…with zest, passion and purpose.
Getting back to my beloved boy, his ability to experience life only in the present moment is a marvel, and one I strive to experience on a more consistent basis. Yes, there is a time and a place for planning and goal-setting regarding our future, as well as a time when we can learn from reviewing our past, but the present moment, is the only moment of true awareness that we have. As Eckhart Tolle (another one of my favorite spiritual teachers) describes in his book, The Power of Now: “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.” This “present moment living” goes so against what we are taught, and I find that it takes effort and practice to live it fully.
What is the other quality my four-legged friend possesses that I wish to emulate? His ability to love unconditionally. We all accept this trait as commonplace in our furry companions, and as a dog owner, I will speak to that. We witness this unconditional love when they greet us, tail-wagging, love twinkling in their eyes, after we’ve been away. It doesn’t matter if our absence has been 5 minutes or 5 days, the expression of love they shower upon us is the same. What’s even more awesome in the exchange, is that our reaction (or lack thereof) has no effect on the strength of their sustained love for us.
Can you even begin to imagine a world in which humans expressed this same unconditional love? In my heart, I can feel it. Yet if I try to “see it” with my mind’s eye, it feels like a far stretch, an impossible dream. Will this come to fruition in my lifetime? Probably not. Does that mean it won’t be a reality one day? I choose to hold onto this possibility, this “far-off” dream.
I choose to hold onto this belief, that humans will one day create a world in which love is at the forefront of every exchange between all living things. I choose to hold onto this dream that humanity will reach a place in our collective evolution, in which every life will be an expression of love, creativity and interconnectedness.
That this level of love will be experienced by the greater population, I believe, is achievable. After all, it’s there already. Underneath the illusions of the outer world, beneath the outer shell of the body, within the core of the heart, this treasure-this place of unconditional love resides. And the creature we call “dog” (God spelled backwards) is simply here to remind us of that.