My mom told me a story today.
I have a wiener dog. His name is Moose. He’s my pride and joy. And my family has a cocker spaniel (named Lucky) who is much much older, and somewhat stuck-up. And fat. Very fat.
Anyway, it was very hot the other day, so my mom thought the dogs would like to have some ice cubes to lick on outside.
So there they went, following her outside, eager to see what yummy treat she might be carrying in her fists. And the reason I’m telling you this is because I thought the way the two dogs reacted was very interesting. And, if you will, is a lesson us humans might consider applying to our own lives.
Lucky ran over to the ice cube, sniffed it, gave it a little lick, and then walked away frustrated. “That’s no fun it’s just water” is what he must’ve been thinking, bummed that it wasn’t something yummy to eat (as if he needed anything else to eat anyway, fatty). But Moose ran over, sniffed it, then licked and licked until he couldn’t lick anymore. That ice cube was the coolest thing since sliced bread. He was having the time of his life. Sure, it didn’t taste like anything. But it was cold and it was new and it was something to do. So he was beyond excited.
And that was what I found inspiring. The way the two dogs reacted to the exact same situation. I think sometimes in life we prepare ourselves for situations, getting our hopes up, waiting for something extravagant to happen. And the reality of the situation, most of the time, is that it’s not what we thought it was going to be.
And in those situations we have a choice. We can either walk away frustrated, or we can make the best of it.
What I loved about Moose’s reaction is the fact that he is so excited about life. He is so eager to experience new things. He is so open-hearted. He doesn’t care what he’s doing as long as he’s doing something. Life, to Moose, is such a joy.
And I think we humans should live that way. No expectations. Just pure, genuine joy and excitement for life.
And if someone puts an ice cube in front of us, we should lick it.
Over-Thought Thinkings. 