Does a Dog Smile?

Finding your "Cool Spot"

 

My mind is my worst enemy.  I am the type of person that tends to analysis everything. A lot. Sometimes that inhibits the way I move forward reaching goals and I find myself trying to curb my own curiosity. For example, our family adopted a full grown but lovable Alaskan malamute named Niko. Niko has free roam of the entire house. However, his favorite spot to lay in is inside the bathtub. He could lay inside that tub all day. Sometimes I feel guilty that he is not interacting with us more, and I call him out and shut the door. He just looks at me with- what I think are- sad eyes, and finds another spot to rest. Now, I debate often, inside my head, whether or not he is depressed. I asked my good friend, and she replied, “maybe it’s just cool in there?” But my mind implores me to figure out what is the reason. Sometimes there are no reasons. Things just happen. Investigating their origins does not always affect their outcome, or prevent them from occurring in the future. Sometimes things just are. It is good to let things just be. I think as a child I had little control of my surroundings. I grew up with a single mom, who went from one job to another, and we moved a lot. The uncertainty of not knowing where we would be one month to the next caused me anxiety. I tried to figure out how to gain control in an uncontrollable situation. Yeah, that didn’t work out so well. And it still has proven a challenge. I am now a single mother myself, (funny how that happens) and control over my world is a very important priority of mine. But, I am learning that moderation is the key. Sometimes all the planning, thinking, exploring, and moderating in the world, cannot prepare you for when life just happens. I have discovered that the reason behind why things happen is less important than adjusting to things when they happen. Reacting appropriately and figuring out a rational next step to move you forward is much more constructive than meditating on the reason why that thing happened in the first place. I find the movement forward a critical step to well-being. So Niko the dog lays in the tub, and I accept that his favorite spot may just as well not be where I would choose, but it is his way, and that’s O.K. with me.