Lately, our world has been filled with a whole lot of hate and adversity, but you know who always wants to simply feel loved and doesn’t care about our social or economic status? Our dogs! I think we have a lot to learn from our furry friends, so here are a few fun little life tips I have learned from my pup.
Just so we’re on the same page here, my dog, Daisy, is not particularly philosophical. She is rather laid back and takes life one day at a time. Unless there is a shadow or a reflection in her line of vision, she’s pretty chill. She has not personally told me any of these pieces of advice and I am sure she would not want me to put words in her mouth. However, I know she would agree with everything and am about to say. Here are a few tips of life inspired by my Vizsla, Daisy.
- Get Outside And Explore Nature
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Unless it’s a rainy day, Daisy thrives off of being outside. She could be out there for hours just staring at the grass waiting for a shadow to appear or the door to open and create a reflection of light. I love taking her to the forest and watching her dart between trees or run freely in the open field. Since Daisy’s breed requires a substantial amount of daily activity, she has pushed me to constantly get outside and go for walks. These short walks make my day everytime and days that I consider “good days” are ones where I went on a walk with Daisy.
- Keep Your Friends Close
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Daisy has a lot of friends, both human and canine. She loves to play with her bestie named Winnie or go on walks a few times a week with her doggy group (they even have birthday parties for each other, it’s a dream). Daisy truly becomes sad once Winnie leaves after a visit and jumps around wagging her tail when we tell her she’s coming back over. It reminds me to feel just as excited and lucky when I get to see my friends and that I have an incredible support system no matter what I may be going through.
- …But It’s Okay To Be Alone Sometimes
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While Daisy loves to play with her dog friends and fellow humans, she is wildly capable of entertaining herself all by her lonesome. She has a tracker on her collar that shows us her daily activity and some days it will say she ran miles in our backyard. In reality, she is chasing rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks so I guess she is not entirely alone. Some nights I just want to stay inside and be by myself. I’ll slouch on the couch with a bag of popcorn and watch a horribly fantastic romcom movie and not feel bad about it! I claim myself to be an ambivert (introvert and extravert combined). If I am with the right people I come out of my shell but if i’m not, I don’t mind (and rather prefer) being alone. I can sometimes feel a bit of shame about this, I wish I could be outgoing 100% of the time. Then I’ll watch Daisy have the time of her life by herself, and I remember that it’s valid for us humans to do the same.
- Don’t Forget To Smile
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I’m sure you’ve heard of the term “fake it till you make it.” I don’t think Daisy is ever faking it when she is happy but sometimes she’ll lay on her back and her lips will hang down making it look like she’s smiling. This picture was taken the morning my brother ran the Boston Marathon, so I’d like to think that this one was a real smile. It’s proven that smiling can trick your brain into happiness. While I think it is completely healthy to embrace when you’re feeling down, faking a smile might just be the right medicine to bounce back!
- Don’t Be Afraid To Take Up Space
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Here is baby Daisy. I couldn’t find a good enough picture of her laying down so I thought i’d grace you with this picture of her the day we picked her up. Daisy does not care how big she is, when she goes to lay down she stretches her paws straight out and plops down wherever she wants. Imagine this image above except her body and arms are four times larger. Daisy is comfortable making herself known and taking up all the space she needs. For women, it’s important for us to do as Daisy does, take up space. Whether that be in a meeting, in a classroom, or in a regular conversation, we should learn to be comfortable speaking out and letting ourselves be known.
- A Good Night’s Sleep Can Be Game Changing
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This one is pretty simple, but wow is it true! I’m still guilty of staying up past my bedtime, but I’m a busy college student so I guess that’s my excuse. On the days that I do go to bed early, I always feel more positive and energized the next day and end up getting more work done. The big thing for me here is the positivity I feel after a good sleep, my favorite natural remedy for happiness besides sunshine. The next time you’re feeling sad, Daisy and I recommend either reading a book or listening to a podcast to get yourself to fall asleep. In this picture, Daisy and I were listening to Taylor Swift’s Folklore, so I guess Daisy would recommend listening to this album too to fall asleep.