The Wisdom of Patches. A guest blog by Leslee Bowen

My friend Leslee sent me this quite a while ago, and I meant to post it right away. I got busy and distracted and forgot all about it, which is all the more ironic in a person (me) who is always blathering on about slowing down. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. -Elaine

If you can start the day without caffeine,

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,

If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without alcohol,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs…

Then You Are Probably the Family Dog!

I received this in an email from a friend last week. It is meant to be humorous and it is. The picture that accompanied it was very cute. However, the more I thought about it, the more it became not so much a joke as an interesting concept.

I began pondering the fact that, “if you had these attributes you would be like a dog” isn’t a funny put down, it’s a compliment.

Aren’t these the kind of things we struggle and strive for in our lives, more joy, less stress, more compassion, being less judgmental, having more peace of mind?

We read books, go to classes, seek guidance and so we should, but a lot of us have a living, breathing example of what we seek sleeping at our feet.

My dog lives in the now. He forgets the past and has no concept of the future. He doesn’t care how he looks. He doesn’t care how I look. He is always glad to see me. He never judges my actions though I am sure he is puzzled by them a lot of the time. He plays with joy and abandon. He sleeps deeply and soundly. He can also do the most beautiful, elegant downward facing dog I have every seen.

There is a purpose in everything and perhaps the purpose of animals is not just to be beasts of burden, to solely do our bidding, but to be constant reminders of how we can live our lives.

We need to pay better attention.