It’s fun to travel to far away places or just ‘get out of dodge’ occasionally. But if we can learn to find the fun and enjoy where we actually live … “our own backyard” … then we get to experience that every day!
But how to do we that? Good question! Here’s some things I learned … with a little help from my fav little 4-legged friend!
A Puppy Story
Meet Titan, our new Pomsky puppy and yes, he really is the cutest little guy!
It’s been so interesting getting to experience the world *thru his eyes*! Like the other morning … We went outside in the early AM hours when the world was calm (still waking up!) Titan, however, was on the verge of *spastic* in his excitement to be awake or just to go to the bathroom??!
He was in full ‘tail-chasing’ mode when suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks and went completely still. I was like ‘what the heck’?!
Looking around, I expected some cataclysmic event (that I had somehow missed?!) to explain such an immediate shift! But I saw nothing. No-one was even around!
Then I paused and that’s when it happened.
#TitanArt
Did you know there’s a way to EXPERIENCE rain before you SEE or FEEL it? I had no idea and it is ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING!!
Impossible to describe, but it’s like a bazillion tiny *somethings* you just can’t put your finger on, firing subtly EVERYWHERE and NO-WHERE at the same time! Surrounded and completely baffled, all you can do is one big, giant WAIT FOR IT … ??! Until finally the “ah-ha!” as recognition dawns with the first tell-tale marks on the ground and the all too familiar raindrops on your face!
#TitanArt
#TitanArt
Those brief, quiet moments before the other senses catch on are INCREDIBLE!
I’ve been out in the start of MANY rain showers over the years … but it took experiencing it with my puppy to find the absolute MAGIC of it!
Discovering “the how” for fun in any backyard
How do puppies do that?? What do they know that we don’t?
Maybe we would benefit from learning a few of their tricks … and I don’t mean the sniffing and digging ones!
10 Puppy Tricks for Having Fun in Your Own Backyard
1) First, Get Outside
Puppies are ALL about getting outside! Sure, inside is interesting for the first few sniffs, but after that it really doesn’t change much.
OUTSIDE, though, is a whole different story! It changes constantly! Morning to evening, spring, summer, winter, fall … every step out the front door is something new!
2) Experience with ALL your senses
What about that “same old boring walk” that never changes? You know, the one that puppies NEVER tire of no matter how many times they go?!
After discovering the magic in the rain, I began looking differently at things around me. I discovered this world has INCREDIBLE VARIETY for EACH of my senses: Sight, Sound, Smell, Feel, Taste … others too that I’m probably not aware of!
Remembering to use them all in my experience means that like the puppy, I never have to go on the “same old boring walk” again!
3) Live richly in the moment you’re in
When we wake up to what’s happening thru our senses, we automatically connect with the present moment. NOW is the only time we can experience our senses. Anyone who’s watched a puppy knows they are all about living in the moment and as richly as possible.
It’s probably why they’re so happy all the time!
4) Gratitude for your own backyard
Growing up, I had an insatiable desire for mountains and forests, but I lived in a literal desert. I wasted a lot of time being unhappy with ‘my own backyard’, when I could have been exploring and finding the beauty & amazingness right in front of me!
Being grateful really is as easy (and as difficult!) as a simple choice in the moment … and then another in the next.
And puppies? Well, I think they’re grateful for what they have … except food. They appreciate theirs, yes, but they would appreciate having yours too. ALWAYS 😊
5) Keep it REAL
Ever notice how Puppies are not all that enamored with TV or Videos? That’s because puppies are all about REAL … REAL experiences and REAL connection with REAL people.
Anything less just isn’t enough!
6) Keep it SIMPLE
On a walk the other morning, my puppy took up an impromptu game of tag with some leaves blowing in the wind. He was definitely ‘IT’ and had a blast!
I still remember as a kid, spending the entire 3rd grade collecting the perfect ‘stick digging tools’. We used them to construct the world’s most elaborate network of tunnels around a rather unfortunate tree. 😅 It was the most amazing thing on the playground and everyone loved it!
I’m not suggesting we all start chasing leaves or collecting sticks … but simply realizing we don’t need ‘big and elaborate’ to have a grand adventure is an absolute gift!
Real life will fit the bill perfectly if we let it!
" Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears.
Show them how to cry when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself. "
-- William Martin
7) Never lose your sense of wonder
Kids and puppies both have such excitement for experiencing this world! Those kids become adults and often grow out of that, but puppies NEVER do!
How do us adults become blase’ and unimpressed by the very things that used to fascinate us? It’s like we forget how to REAL-LY EXPERIENCE the world we live in!
Thankfully, it’s not that hard to remember! You don’t even need to *be* or *have* a puppy to do so … although I suppose it helps!
8, 9, 10) Finding the MAGIC
Here it is … the next time it looks like rain, simply get out your front door.
Take a walk, stop often to breath in, look, listen, smell and feel! Keep it simple, be grateful, live in the moment and explore the possibilities!
It may take some practice, but you’ll find the absolute MAGIC too … I promise!
