Ahhhhhhh… something about this place just makes the world disappear. My mind is quieter and I breathe more deeply. I think it’s a combination of the calming influence of a dog plus being surrounded by nature. Together, you can’t help but be reminded that all we have is the present, that life is short and should be savored as much as possible.
I’m starting to realize I am often trapped in my thoughts – ruminating about the past and stressing about the future. Add to that the mind-numbing pull of endless online entertainment in the form of videos and social media and I can get lost for hours, like a baby sucking on a digital pacifier. I know how deep I go because when something finally snaps me out of it, I am a bit disoriented and for a moment have to remember where I am and what day/time it is.
I get so out-of-body sometimes that I forget to breathe… or shall I say breathe deeply. I think I get headaches sometimes simply because I am not getting enough oxygen (is that a thing?). But when I am lounging with a dog and hear them take a big inhale and exhale, I am reminded to do the same. And when I am in nature and feel the breeze on my face and catch a whiff of earth’s goodness, I can’t help but breathe it in.
So I guess that’s the reminder for the day… breathe… and be present 🙂
DUTIES:
– Care for 1 dog
– Gather the mail
– Take out trash
Unexpected Benefits and/or Realizations:
– The homeowner left a book for me to read that she thought I would enjoy… and I sure did! I am not a huge reader because I tend to fall asleep anytime I read, but I LOVED this book and could not put it down. Highly recommend!
Untamed, by Glennon Doyle
Unexpected Events and/or Challenges:
– Ticks, ticks, ticks. This is just a reality of living in the country, but man oh man the ticks are bad this Spring. Thankfully the dog is on tick medication so they will fall off the dog on their own after they bite her, but I still had to pull a few off her and brush dead ones out of her fur (insert green face throw-up emoji here, lol).
