Lesson 4: The Art of Being

One of my biggest life lessons came not from Buddy, but from my first male Golden, Teddy.  During the time we had Teddy, I was working hard at a very demanding job that meant there was always work I had to bring home along with everything else life brings.  It was easy for me to get lost in all the details of life and have many different thoughts going at the same time and never seem able to stay present in the moment.  Teddy had this way of knowing when I needed a break.  He’d set himself down in front of me and give me this look that meant it was time for a change. 

Ever since Teddy was a young pup, he was more of an observer of the world rather than an active participant.  He loved to just sit and watch what was happening around him.  When he’d get my attention, I knew it was time to grab a beach chair from the garage, rarely used any more, and head out to the front yard.  I’d plop myself into the chair, and Teddy would lay down next to me on the grass and just watch the world pass by. 

At first my head would be going a mile a minute thinking about this and that.  It spins like a top.  But within a short time my mind would stop racing and become still, and Teddy and I would just sit together and watch the birds flying around, people passing by, and listen to the sounds that the world makes around us.  I often talked about how Teddy taught me the Art of Being instead of the Art of Doing that I was so good at.   

Teddy’s been gone for about 10 years, yet I remember our times just “being” together, and I work on taking time to just sit and watch the world unfold before me.