Friday, May 28, 2010

Gratitude

Gratitude

Today I'd like to focus on gratitude. What does a dog know about that you're probably wondering? Well, I am quite brilliant and have a great self-help library as well as all the classics in English and French so bear with me.

Every day I try to practice gratitude as a habit.

I'm grateful for having wonderful owners like Brian, Cathy, Rory and Eric. Some of my fellow dogs aren't so lucky and suffer neglect and abuse.

I'm grateful for Tyna most of the time. *rolls eyes* except when she's acting possessive of me or stealing my pool.

I'm grateful for Alex who is growing old with dignity. Hope I can do as well when I'm 15.

As for Tanner, welllllll... No comment. GRRRRR. As for the cats welllllll. Again, no comment. I'm not much of a cat lover. Hey, it's in the DNA. Can't help that much.

I'm grateful that Brian took me in and gave me a good home or I might still be wandering the dusty back country lanes seeking my fortune.

I'm grateful for my doghouse and for my food and water. Some dogs aren't as lucky. Some people, too.

I'm grateful for being healthy and robust, able to endure most things. They don't call me "Husky" for nothing.

I'm grateful for living in a great country such as Canada though the extreme temperatures are a bit hard to take but hey, I'm tough, I'm a husky as I said.

I even have a gratitude journal I write in. It's a little muddy and "dog" eared (Cathy just groaned when I wrote this) but I still write in it. Even people like Oprah keep gratitude journals. I think they're a great idea. If you're feeling grateful for what you do have in your life, you're not focusing on what you don't have.

If you're constantly thinking of what you're lacking in your life, you're bound to be miserable. We're especially guilty of this with the constant urge to have new things. Consumerism and materialism constantly make you feel you're lacking unless you have the latest fashion, the latest gadget, the latest technical gizmo. We keep buying in our quest to feel happy about our lives and try to fill that void that never seems to get filled.

That ol "keep up with the Joneses" syndrome is bound to leave a person feeling inadequate and lacking. So what if your neighbour has a brand new car and you don't? They probably have a lot of debt and have to work long hours to pay for it. It all breaks eventually and that new car will end up in a junkyard soon enough.

Comparing yourself is a self defeating behaviour, too. I never compare myself to others but then I'm pretty great so why do I need to? I've never wanted to trade my life with any dog but I know some dogs do, poor things. I know some dogs would love to be me and I fully understand it. I'm pretty fantastic, it's true.

Maybe that other person looks like they're richer, slimmer, smarter, prettier, and happier but are they really? Appearances are deceiving. They have their problems like everyone else and they're definitely not perfect even if they seem that way from outward appearances. The grass isn't always greener as they say. Cathy says to cut out all the tired cliches like "appearances are deceiving" and the grass is always greener". Sorry about that, Cathy. Them's the breaks. That's the way the cookie crumbles. Every dog must have its day. Those cliches, gotta love 'em!.

So practice a bit of gratitude each day and don't be surprised if you instantly feel happier and more content. It's a good life and we have much to be grateful about.

Gratefully yours,
Loup

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