All About Dogs - Dogs - Be Present and Be Happier...

Excerpted from the book: The Goddess of Happiness, A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss by Debbie Gisonni

Have you ever watched what dogs do most of the day? Basically, they lie around doing nothing. I?m always curious to knowwhat they?re thinking about, or if they?re thinking at all. Judgingby my dogs, I?m sure their thoughts have something to do withtheir next meal, massage, or walk. We humans tend to spend a lotof time thinking, particularly women who are masters at multitasking.How many uniquely different things can you be thinkingof at one time? What to make for dinner, your child?s parent-teacherconference, the dog?s vet appointment, a deadline at work, the paintcolors for the new bathroom? Scary, huh? We think about what hasalready happened or what we assume might happen much more sothan what is happening right now. All this time spent in the past andfuture leaves little or no time for the present, which is the only timethat matters.

It seems that something always has to go wrong in order to forceus to stop and be present. For example, when you have to drive yourcar through a heavy snowstorm, you can?t help but pay attention toevery bump and slide. Normally, though, you?re driving in autopilotwhile your mind is working overtime: ?How late will this trafficmake me? I need to pick up Emily from her soccer game. Whatam I making for dinner tonight??

I have a beautiful, kind, loving, and generous friend who seems tospend her whole life racing. In the twenty years since I?ve knownher, she?s always running late from one appointment to the next,talking a mile a minute and putting out some sort of emotional fireat the same time. Sometimes when I?m with her, I feel as if I?m in oneof those zany dreams where you keep jumping from one unrelatedscene to another, with no beginning and no end?just continuousbut different streams of consciousness. Meanwhile, I?m gripping thebottom of my seat with sweat-drenched hands and wondering ifshe?s going to step on the brake before crashing into the car stoppedin front of us. It?s not that I think she?s a bad driver. In fact, she?snever had any accidents with me in the car (I can?t speak for anyoneelse). It?s just that I know she?s not present. I?m sure her inner goddessis constantly crying out, ?Stop, look, and listen now,? and whileshe might have heard this amid the clutter of her mind, she?s alreadydeleted that scene and moved on to a few others.

There will be times in your life where you rush to get to the nextthing?your job, your appointments, your partner, your house?without any consideration or participation in the current thing,whatever that might be. When you look back, life all becomes onebig blur of images, like sticking your head out the window of aspeeding car. You?re unable to clearly see anything, whether it?s rightnext to you, in front, or behind.

Life is in its most perfect state when you are present in everymoment. Living in the past or future, as we often do, only servesto drain your spirit. You can?t change what has happened, nor canyou worry about what hasn?t happened yet. So instead of living inthe land of ?I could?ve, should?ve, would?ve? or ?what if,? try livingin the land of ?I am,? because now is the only moment a goddess canaffect and enjoy.

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