The Pause with the Paws
That moment when a little clarity clicks in
“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
“For the love of God move your ASS!” This phrase was repeatedly going through my mind as I waited for my little furry walking buddy to finish sniffing some random rock or spot where some other dog had probably relieved itself two days ago.
It seemed like we were stopping every 20 feet or so to sniff and explore some Amazing scent! I had stuff to do in my overly busy life — trying to cram in as much as possible. I wanted to “check the box” for the dog walk and move on. I was wearing my weighted vest (Rucking anyone?) so I was getting a twofer, with a little elevated heart rate, but only if we were actually moving at a reasonable pace!
“Dammit, why do you have to sniff EVERYTHING!!” Whaaaaaaaa!!
This was all internal in my head. I was just standing there holding the leash with, most likely, a perturbed look on my face. Which was probably growing Red from frustration.
All my mind was doing was worrying about the stuff on my to-do list that I needed to accomplish. I had more things to do and this walk was taking forever. I was zero percent aware that the sun was setting and it was my favorite time of the day. Where the shadows lengthen and the warmer golden hues come out briefly to highlight the world before the evening settles in.
I gave an exasperated sigh, and then my pup looked up at me and cocked his head. You know how dogs will look you directly in the eyes like they are peering into your soul? Well, we had one of those moments. He happened to be standing in a patch of glowing sunlight, looking at me intently, as if waiting for me to notice. In that moment, I felt my brain go ‘CLICK’ and my whole body relaxed. Our eye-contact lasted another second and then, the pup went back to sniffing something wonderful and I started looking around to appreciate what kind of evening it was.
That little pause helped shift my mindset for the rest of the evening and I still think about it when we go out on walks. We continued to stroll along, him sniffing and me looking around and enjoying the sunlight on the leaves and pine needles of the trees in the neighborhood — and the shadows that grew across the sidewalk as the sun continued its descent. The darkness slowly consuming the light in that ageless cycle.
A quiet calm settled on me as I remembered to appreciate the beauty of the little things in life that surround us. Those moments actually mattered.
I’m not going to say that now I’m completely Zen on our walks or that I don’t occasionally rush him through them because sometimes it just can’t be helped. I can say, that I do make an effort to remember that moment on most of our walks and when he stops to sniff I take a deep breath and just pause and look around.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Life is happening
