When you wake up, what are your first few minutes like most days? Anything you would like to change? If you abruptly leap into a multitasking kind of day, would you prefer easing into things a bit more slowly or with a bit more joy? How about noise level – too loud? Would softer lighting help? Too much grumbling and too little patience?
There are undoubtedly an endless number of opinions about the first things we should do when we wake up. Too many of us, however, have such overloaded plates that we seem perpetually “sentenced” to jumping abruptly into yet another 90 mph day after our alarms jolt us awake. Like powerful magnets, we find ourselves pulled immediately to checking our phones, replying to emails, dressing on the fly, grabbing a quick breakfast or rushing out with a protein bar in hand if we’re lucky. Rush – rush – rush….No wonder we feel exhaustion creeping in by mid-morning. And yet, day after day, some of us repeat the same chaotic, exhausting routines over and over and over. The chances are very high that days begun abruptly and on the fly may also be lacking some really fun moments or uplifting, loving exchanges with our families or others.
Thanks to this touching example of a great way to start one’s day by two of our four-legged family members (Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs or Swissies), however, I am re-motivated to keep working on easing more gently and joyously into each and every day. What all can we learn from these two about how we begin our days? Well, you decide for yourself, but I will say that this accidental and priceless cam capture offered me many good reminders, gave me a good laugh and deeply touched my heart. A mother’s gentle patience, a soul’s genuine joy at just being and the fun that unabashed love brings … all great reminders of what really matters in this crazy world….the attitudes we choose in the living of our days and how we appreciate and treat one another. Thanks, Tango and Jazzy Boots – you two are one awesome mom-daughter duo and fantastic teachers!
Music credits:
“Fretless” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/