I’m big on gratitude.
These days everybody – from Oprah to the author of the bestselling book The Secret – is singing the praises and benefits of gratitude. The New Age sages all agree that paying attention to and expressing thanks for the good in our lives makes us healthier and more joyful, and brings us even more abundance.
But in our busy lives it’s tempting to get caught up in problems and to-do lists – obsessing about all the bad stuff that happened yesterday and worrying about what might happen tomorrow. It’s easy to forget about everything we have to be grateful for today.
That’s why I love the ritual I call “Walking the Dog Meditation.” Unlike the traditional idea of meditation that has us sitting still in the lotus position, this is an active meditation that focuses our minds while moving our bodies.
This is how it goes:
Step One: I go to the computer to check my e-mail and calendar and start to get anxious about all the gazillions of things I have to do.
Step Two: Dog wanders into my office, jumps on me, grabs my running shoe, and frantically scampers back and forth between me and the door while shooting me guilt-producing looks of neediness.
Step Three: I realize I will never get anything done until I walk the dog.
Step Four: I don’t really feel like a walk, and I have way too many things to do, but I take the dog out anyway.
Step Five: As I walk, I can’t avoid looking around at the blue sky and the trees and feeling the sun on my skin and, in an instant, I realize what a gorgeous day it is and how lucky I am to have the time and freedom and the healthy body required to walk the dog. I thank God (or thank Dog) for this beautiful day and for this happy little animal that is totally enjoying living in the moment – relishing the simple act of peeing on every bush and lamppost.
Step Six: I usually have to stop and pick up poop right about this time, which is very grounding.
Step Seven: I make a mental list of all the blessings in my life: my family, our good health, my home, my beautiful neighborhood, the freedom to do what I love (writing) and the good fortune to both impact people’s lives and make money at it – and, of course, the smiling, rambunctious ball of fluff at the end of the leash. As I take pleasure in the California weather and landscape and take joy in watching Dog romp in the wet grass, I forget minor slights and troubles. My to-do list melts away for a few sacred moments. It is a time of peace and happiness that I hope will set the mood for my day.
Step Eight: I come home. Dog is exhausted and ready to sleep by my side and be my muse. I feel relaxed, invigorated, and ready to go forward with amazing idea that I got while walking.
I started this ritual when Dog was just a puppy. At first my only goal was to exhaust him so I could get some work done. Now it is such a part of my life that I look forward to it as much as he does.
Of course, it’s easy to be grateful when everything is going great. The challenge is to be grateful when things suck. So when I broke my toe recently, my worries were not about the throbbing pain or whether or not the toe would heal straight.
Truth is, my first thought was, “Who will take Dog for his walk?”
I knew I would be out of my gratitude/dog-walking ritual for at least a few days, so I decided to make a list of all the things to be grateful for about breaking my toe. Amazingly, there were many things on the list: having an excuse not to exercise; getting flowers from my mom; and, since I could only wear one shoe, finally getting some use out of those lonely, single socks that have lost their mates.
But the number one thing on my list? The absolute best thing to be grateful for?
My husband and kids get to walk Dog for me for a while. Now they can slow down a bit to enjoy the autumn landscape, and Dog can bless them, too, with inspiration and delight. Dog can benefit from their lively and loving company and everyone gets an extra dose of gratitude.
To me, that’s what Thanksgiving is all about.
Kathy Cordova lives in Pleasanton with her Havanese, Sunny, otherwise known as Dog. She is the author of “Let Go, Let Miracles Happen: The Art of Spiritual Surrender.”
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