The other day, I purchased a new toy for our service dog. She’s been working so hard and I wanted to, in some small way, show and share my gratitude. I selected what I felt to be the ‘perfect’ gift – a lime green alligator with wildly felted teeth and a squeaker inside.

When I returned home, I pulled the small toy from its  bag. And, giving it a squeeze – I tossed it high up into the air. With laser guided focus, she leapt – seizing her ‘prey’. Over the next several moments, she pranced gleefully throughout the room – pausing only to display the source of her joy.

And when her ‘brother’, our Miniature Pinscher, awoke from his slumber – her first and only instinct was to place the new toy at his feet. Sure she wanted to play, but more so – she wanted this moment to grow. After all, a joy not shared is one never truly known.

There’s much to be learned from this simple interaction. As humans, we tend to cling – to people, to moments, to things; ambivalent to their greater hold. In our misguided attempts, we attach to the the object – overlooking its source.

“No matter what you have faced, joy and renewal wait your return,” author, Jack Kornfield reminds. “When you remember you can open your eyes to the mystery of life around you. Sense the blessings of the earth in the perfect arc of a ripe tangerine, the taste of warm, fresh bread, the circling flight of birds, the lavender color of the sky shining in a late afternoon rain puddle, the million times we pass other beings, in our cars and shops and out among the trees without crashing, conflict, or harm.”

And when we open to this truth, we become our joy.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❣️