We’ve adopted a new dog. Her name is Sadie and she’s trying her best to learn the ropes of our household. At this point, I’m really hoping that Sadie’s love language isn’t ‘inopportune defecation’.
If it is inopportune defecation, then we may have some training classes in our future.
Yay.
You see, Sadie likes to show her ‘love language’ in my home. On the carpet. Silently. To remedy this; we have been going out in the back yard with Sadie to encourage her to ‘love’ the grass outside. After five or ten minutes of pacing around aimlessly (myself included, neither myself nor my canine family members had had caffeine yet), I took a seat on the cement stoop with both dogs.
At that moment; I heard a sharp tapping. I looked over to see a cardinal fighting his reflection in a truck’s side mirror. I smiled to myself.
In this moment, Sadie listened to her body and took a nap.
This cardinal appears to be in ‘analysis paralysis’.
Both Sadie and Bitsey joined me. They both stood at ‘attention’ looking towards the door back into the house. A trace of humidity and the bright sun fell around us. As I sat for a moment; I monitored my thoughts. They sounded like this:
“Man, what a nice day. I’m not ready to go back inside.”
“I wish this dog would just pee out here so we could move on with our lives.”
“I just want to stay out here for hours.”
I’m guessing my dogs’ thoughts may have sounded like this:
Bark bark bark bark bark.
Yawn.
Low groan.
In English; this sounds like this:
“I want to go in. My bed is in there. My food is in there. I want to go in there. I am not in there. I am out here. I want to go in there.”
Our bird friend likely wasn’t thinking at all. In his perception; he was fighting a threat to his life.
In a stroke of brilliance and generosity; both dogs and this poor cardinal fighting for its territory took the opportunity to teach me something about the moment and how valuable it is.
The lesson is that all four of us were failing at mindfulness! (Note: For a more instructional description of mindfulness, click here.) The dogs, in reality, were outside, but WANTED TO GO BACK IN. Their desire caused them suffering. I, in reality, was outside as well. My thinking about other things distracted me from being fully present and truly participating in the moment. The poor bird, while perceiving reality, had a misunderstanding of it. His reflection likely posed no threat to him or his little bird family.
Perhaps in mindfulness we can focus on the beautiful frame panel and the nature within. Photo by Deon Staffelbach.
So, what to do?
Remember, the dogs fail participating in the moment due to their immobilization from their desire to go back into the house.
Sadie and Bitsey, sit in the sunlight. OBSERVE the smells on the wind. ACCEPT that at some point they will end, just like everything else.
The cardinal fails participation in the moment due to a false belief and reacting on his urge that is inappropriate (because it is based on an illusion) IN THIS MOMENT. He is imposing his belief on something that isn’t even alive.
Cardinal bird, go find some berries while you can.
I failed mindfulness for the same reason as my dogs. I was thinking so much about the moment ending that I failed to live in it.
Human Chris, abandon expectation. Abandon judgment. Abandon suffering.
PARTICIPATE BY ENJOYING this breeze, this humidity, and this sunlight IN THIS MOMENT.
Now, I will get off of this computer and PARTICIPATE by using this lesson.
I’d encourage you to do the same.
In connection,
Chris