I’ve decided my dog, Ziggy, should be a world-renown role model for positive thinking. In the least, he should be the mascot for this website.
He just has a wonderful outlook. No matter what life throws at him, he greets it with a joyous expectation that something fabulous will come from it. He’s happy to wake up in the morning. He’s happy to go to bed at night.
Today, March 25, the northeast was walloped with a cold, wet snowstorm. We humans grumbled about it every minute we could and some of us secretly planned on shoving recipes for roasted groundhog down Puxtahaney Phil’s hole in the ground.
Ziggy, on the other hand, ran outside, jumped and played and you could tell he was thinking, “this is the greatest thing, EVER!”
If it were raining, he’d do the same thing. Likewise if the sun was beating down on him — though on hot days, he is quick to run back inside and lay on the air conditioning vent to cool his tummy.
Life is just always a party for him.
However, he seems to know when enough is enough. Let’s face it, if he got up in the morning and acted like “Holy Cow! Isn’t it cool I woke up?!” and then ran down the stairs dancing and jumping like, “Holy Cow! Isn’t it cool I made it down the stairs?!” and then ate breakfast in a likewise enthusiastic fashion, we humans would quickly tire of his attitude. We’d call him annoying and ask around to find another home for him. Thankfully, he saves his exuberance for events deserving of them and the rest of the time he wanders around with a contented attitude just waiting for the next exciting adventure around the corner.
He never frets about how he looks, if he gained weight, or if he’s going to see any of his friends when he’s out for a walk. If he does see a friend, he’s happy and excited. And if he doesn’t, he still enjoys his walk.
He has no regrets about the past, no fears about the future, and handles the hurdles life throws at him with a “can do” attitude, no complaints, no self-pity, no disdain. He doesn’t even get angry when I make him jump off the bed just so I can make it. It’s all good in Ziggy’s world.
Granted, he doesn’t have to pay bills or tend to sick children or even do the laundry. However, I can’t help but wonder if I tried his approach more often — no worrying, no fretting, no finding reasons to complain and instead only focusing on the highest possible outcome of every moment, just how good could my life get?
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