The gifts of abundance, wonder and play are what I have learned by watching Ruby Sunshine, our two year-old Labrador retriever on our walks around the nearby lakes this week.
A few days ago, on a route we take most of the time, Ruby was playing with a tennis ball that she found along the way. When she wasn’t chasing the ball, she was scrambling around the edges of the frozen lake and digging at whatever caught her fancy. (And yes, we were working with the command of “leave it” like most days.)
Then the next day, the wind was up so we went a different direction and she found a tennis ball on that route, as well. Plus, Ruby found the stuffed plush dog in the picture accompanying this blog entry. Playing with this toy really brought out the energy of excitement and abandon, the sheer joy of whipping around the stuffed dog.
Finally, this morning, she started off playing with the stuffed dog but then flushed out a goose which allowed her to run at full speed while the bird flew away and we got to practice her recall skills. (She did really well on this command, too!) Not wanting to torment the goose when playing, not hunting, was the name of the game, we turned around and headed for the car. Ruby flushed out a duck there, too. The duck flew away, as well, but allowed for another burst of energy. Today was a good day to be a Labrador.
How does this inspire me? It has allowed me to step back to see the wonder and abundance in my everyday life. I need to trust that no matter which route I take in a day, I will find my joy, my tennis ball, my stuffed animal, my time for play and awe. And when that is done, I can be in the silence and the light, just like Ruby is in the picture below. Gratitude for Ruby for all the lessons I learn from her. Namaste.
