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Shake it Off
An important life lesson I learned from dogs
We humans think we’re pretty special. And why wouldn’t we? After all, we sit at the top of the food chain. We’re all that and a bag of chips! But am I the only one who wonders how this came to be? Sure, sure, we have big brains; we can fix things, build things, send people into space, compose beautiful music, make important art, and oh, let’s not forget our latest brainchild — A.I. — yeah, we went and did that, too (although that should be the subject of another essay, hopefully, one I can write before AI writes it first). Oh, the irony.
But, I digress …
Intelligence and common sense are not the same thing, and while our cerebrums might be special, sometimes the smartest thing we can do is shut up, breathe deeply and, you know, just look at stuff. Just … be.
Last weekend, I took myself away for a two-day solo “re-set” to do just that. Be. I stayed in an old-timey iconic motel that hasn’t changed since the 70s, where I enjoyed a 180-degree view of the ocean and all the activity on the boardwalk running in front of it. Perfect people-watching. (People-watching is usually my favourite.) But I soon lost interest in the people and their fashion statements; instead, I grew curious about their dogs. There were a lot of them: labs, beagles, pointers, Berners, chihuahuas, poodles…
