17 years ago I allowed the first puppy to come into my life. Ours was Love at first sight, I don't deny it. However, I didn't suspect in the slightest how much it would change my life. Living with a dogbut really living in it, that is, spending a lot of time together to the point that you both know exactly what the other thinks and wants, can change your life, or at least your vision of the world. also able to convey valuable life lessons. You just have to pay attention and learn to listen with your heart, because, as Saint-Exupery said, “what is essential is invisible to the eye”.1. Love unconditionallyTrue love doesn't impose conditions, it gives up. Love is not subject to certain conditions, we love because we need it and it makes us feel good, without expecting anything in return and regardless of the mistakes the other makes. Many animals are able to give that kind of love, most people fail because they see love as a bargaining chip.
2. Express affection, alwaysIt doesn't matter if we only spent 30 minutes outside, when we enter the house our mascot will welcome us as if we had returned from a long journey. Our four-legged friends do not waste any opportunity to express their feelings. Likewise, we shouldn't miss any opportunity to show affection to the people we love when they are important to us.
3. Live every moment as if it were the first and the lastOur mind is our main ally, but also our bitterest enemy. We are unable to enjoy many of the situations we experience on a daily basis just because we are too worried about the future or stuck in the past. Obviously, dogs have a much simpler psyche than ours, which works in their favor by allowing them to live in the here and now more fully. However, we too can learn to do it, putting passion into every moment and living it as if it were the first and the last, because in reality, you never know if we will have another chance.
4. Always forgive, no matter the insultDogs get angry too, everyone who has one knows it. And they prove it. However, they are also able to move on and forgive. They make peace very quickly and never hold a grudge. It is much more difficult for us to forgive and move forward, we have been stuck in the past, we continually relive the insult we have suffered. However, only when we forgive are we truly free.
5. Enjoy the little pleasures in lifeI could spend hours watching dogs play or even hearing their breathing while they sleep. A pet teaches us that happiness is not in big things, but in those little moments that we often neglect, tormented by haste. However, it is essential to learn to be happy with a lot and with a little, because happiness is within us, it is not something we have to look for outside.
6. Be loyal and compromiseDogs have a particular sense of loyalty and compromise, so strong that it sometimes makes us feel ashamed of ourselves. Your pet knows he should love you even when you least deserve it, because that's when you need it most. Learning to compromise, but seriously, is a quality that is only good for us.
7. Accept the chaosMost people find it difficult to manage uncertainty and chaos, rather, they prefer planning and order, because they generate a sense of security. However, most dogs are happy in absolute chaos and even enjoy it. This is because they don't have too many preconceived ideas, they just know how to adapt to changing circumstances. They adapt their sails to the changing wind, and so calmly continue sailing.
8. Defend personal spaceDogs also experience negative emotions, and in those moments, they let you know by defending their space and privacy. So we realize that it is not the best time to play or cuddle him. Likewise, we must not let others continually invade our personal and intimate space, no matter how much they love us, but we must learn to defend it assertively. It's about making sure others don't use our time and resources as they please, just because they manipulate us emotionally.
9. Communicate without wordsWords fill the void caused by the lack of emotional connection. Of course, it goes without saying that in some situations we express what we think, but when it comes to feelings, words are often too many. So when we are looking for a person to share our life with, we must make sure to find someone with whom we can communicate without words, connecting on an emotional level. Sometimes a hug or a look is able to convey more emotions than many words.
10. Feeling uniqueThe love of a pet makes us feel unique and irreplaceable. It is as if it keeps telling us that we are worthy of being loved, something that is forgotten as we grow up. When we are aware of this, we can not only develop greater self-esteem, but we will also be able to surround ourselves with people who make us feel just as good, who are on our side because they have decided and because they really want to share their life with us, making us feel. special.
