Feeling Grateful

A certain pampered Irish Wolfhound cannot contain her enthusiasm on her way to the off-leash dog park. On the ride over, she hangs her head out the window with the wind flowing through her wiry fur.

The closer the destination, the more she loses control. Kind of like a kid on Christmas Eve, she starts to whine and whimper. By the time she arrives at the state park entrance to essentially doggie Disney World, she belts out a full on howl. She’s got a pair of pipes, so her joy echoes across the park for the last few minutes before arriving at the actual gate to wonderland.

Once inside, she’s queen of her domain. She jogs to meet her besties and races after squirrels. One of her buddies, a rescued Germain Shorthair Pointer, suffers from a perpetual tremor, the aftermath of some unknown puppy trauma. Another BFF, a snow white Hungarian Kuvasz, takes a dozen medications daily to manage the autoimmune flare-ups wreaking havoc on her skin and keeping her body underweight.

Despite old wounds and permanent disabilities, these pups know how to be grateful for this particular moment they occupy. They leave it all behind.

Thanksgiving brings a season to reflect on blessings and hardships. No doubt, this life provides plenty of challenges, emotional, physical, and mental. Through grace, hope, and gratitude, joy can happen. Even if it’s only for snatches of moments in a day.

Throughout the year, wouldn’t it be amazing to inject that doggie gratitude serum, so as not to miss the good stuff?

Take a deep breath. Lean into your joy. You’ve earned it.

“Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have.”
~ Sanchita Pandey

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