Today I want to talk about Superheroes of the 4 legged kind.
Not the kind who have received medals for bravery or the kind that put himself in front of motor vehicles to save another dog. I am talking about the kind that exist in our lives and never make it to this status because I believe these are the real heroes.
My dog saved my life. He didn’t jump off a building to save me or keep me from drowning. He just existed.
I am sure you can tell how much I miss my dog. I give thanks for this blessed animal that was in my life, albeit for a short period of time. He was there to help me through a really rough patch.
I was living with an abusive partner and at the same time my father was dying from cancer. It was all of the things that I feared that would happen to me -someone who would abuse me emotionally, physically, financially. My father would stand by and watch me succumb to this person while he was succumbing to his own disease. Together, we were fighting losing battles. Battles we thought together we could get through by in the end we lost.
My father lost his life. I lost my self-esteem, my job, and in the end, my dog.
I am sure my dog could sense my daily sadness. He would sit and look at me with those big brown eyes and all I could feel was an overwhelming sense of compassion and love. I remember those eyes looking at me like it was yesterday and I yearn to see them over and over again. I miss his smell, his furry face, and his way of hugging against my neck when I try to hold him close to me.
Years later,when he saw that I found someone who could pick up where he left off, and knew that I would be ok, I think he accepted his purpose in this life was fulfilled. Our last day together was not the way I expected it to go, but the sense of peace I felt while he drifted away from me was clearly the most compassionate thing I knew that I could do for him. It was difficult, but I know I had to respect that his time on this earth was done and that his illness was taking away from him being able to be the dog that he was.
If you are reading this, you probably wonder how this relates to my journey to find my purpose-filled work. I know that dogs have always and will always be a part of my life. Kindness, compassion, unconditional love-these are all things that dogs can teach us. If these are things you value, like I do, you will understand why I feel that dogs can give us cues on how to live life with purpose, admiration, wonder, and taking opportunities to cease the moment. They are the teachers and we are the students.
I miss you Scruffy. I hope you are in doggy heaven with Benji, Lincoln, Fido, Bear and Prince eating Begging Strips and watching Cesar Milan re-runs. xo
The DAINA PROJECT 