Life lessons from a puppy

Emmy exploring the world on a walk.

Quiet mumbling from the bedroom slowly whiskers me away from my dreams. First things first: "AWWW - BIG STRETCH." He would call it a "downward-facing dog", especially when he feels like a fancy yogi. I'd recommend doing yoga more often so he doesn't suffer from back pain all the time... Honestly, I don't care too much as long as he keeps saying "big stretch" while I do it and pets me afterward...

Alright, stretching my legs one last time, and then off I go into the bedroom to wash, i.e. lick, her face while looking cute and impatient at the same time. Stuck the landing, they are getting up!

"This was your first task accomplished." says Admiral "Make your bed every morning" McRaven in my head in a strict, but benevolent voice.

Off we go on to the first highlight of the day: The morning walk! I love the morning walk! You never know where we will end up and what tracks I can find. The best walks take us to the woods, where I can smell and sometimes find mice, ducks, foxes and even roe deer. Maybe I can even catch one today...

Something catches my eye tumbling through the air. One jump, one smell, it was only a maple leaf blown away by a passing truck. There you go, here is my first life lesson. It's quite similar to Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, where you never know what you'll get. That is why you have to:

„Attack everything with 100% excitement.“

It could be something super exciting or even better, something to eat! Without effort, we might never know! Life is too short for a bad mood or half-a**ing things, so give it your all. It is the only way the adventure called your life is fun.

And the only way I know how to be a dog. So, off I go into the thick bushes, down an embankment and into the river for a quick swim. "Piep-piep" I hear the whistle go and run back up to my hooman. Maybe he has some work for me or - you know it - a treat! Which leads us to my next lesson:

„Sometimes you are the dog & sometimes you are the tree.“

This might sound a little bit weird, but stay with me: You can think of yourself as a big oak or chestnut tree. You provide shade, are a home for birds and squirrels, and even feed them. Suddenly a little dog comes along and pees on you! That's life - sometimes you are a mighty tree and sometimes you are someone's toilet.

It is the same for me. Sometimes I get to roam wild and free, chase after birds and suddenly I need to obey again.

The interplay in life of being big and strong or for instance, the boss versus following orders takes learning and getting used to.

As I have already mentioned, I love to explore. But I have to be honest, I do not always find great, exciting or tasty things. Which brings me to my last lesson:

„If you can’t eat or hump it, pee on it & move on.“

Whatever I find, I will inspect it. If I can't eat, hump or play with it, I pee on it & simply move on. I don't mean you have to pee on everything not of worth to you. What I am trying to say is, that sometimes you run into stuff that is not particularly useful, or let's say you make a mistake or run into a defeat. These things can happen. Just don't take them too seriously, learn from the experience and move on.

After all, life, or in my case, our morning walk keeps going and so I need to - you got it - bring 100% EXCITEMENT!

© Jakob Hysek 2024-07-31

Originally published here: https://www.story.one/de/story/lektionen-furs-leben-eines-welpen/