Seven valuable lessons
Anyone who owns a pet knows it’s totally worth it. Having a four-legged friend in our home can bring a lot of joy and positive energy to our lives. They are always making you laugh with their adorable and goofy actions, and there is no better feeling than coming home after a busy day at work and seeing your pet running to greet you.
Upon first owning a pet, we are the ones that they learn from. Nevertheless, after many years of living together there are just certain things that pets teach us better than any human ever could. Our pets are continuously teaching us lessons about unconditional love, simplicity in life, joy and kindness. Sometimes it’s easy for us to let these valuable lessons go unnoticed, but once they are realized you will most likely appreciate and admire your pet even more than you already do!
Our pets may not be able to talk but these lessons are perfect examples of actions speaking louder than words. If we pay close enough attention we will be able to pick up on these seven lessons that our pets are trying to teach us.
1. Live in The Present Moment
Dogs and cats live in the moment and enjoy what is going on without thinking about anything else. They are a perfect role model and definition of living life to the fullest. They don’t spend time thinking about what happened a few hours ago or yesterday, nor do they worry about tomorrow. Pets focus on their needs and activities in the present moment- maybe it’s eating their favourite treat, cuddling with their owner, walking or playing ball. They make sure to be present in whichever activity they are doing and make sure to have a great time doing it. You too can live in the present just like your pet and worry about the future in the future!
2. Be Excited to See Your Loved Ones
Whether you had a good or bad day at work or school, your pet is always there to greet you the second you come home. Perhaps your cat is already sitting at the door waiting for you or your dog sprints to the door with a wagging tail and huge smile. It is a warm, happy feeling watching our pets be so excited to see us and it instantly makes us smile ourselves. So, what if we also show each other how much we care by greeting those we love? It’s easy for us to take our relationships for granted but things can happen in the blink of an eye and we never truly know when the last time we may see someone will be. Life is short and we too can greet our loved ones with a hug or kiss as a small act to remind them how much we love them and how important they are to us.
3. Empathy and Compassion
When you are feeling down or upset your pet is usually the first one to notice and come to you. Your pet is able to sense that something is off just by your body language or actions and will sit by your side to comfort you. Perhaps when you’re crying your pet’s equivalent to a human hug is to paw at you to comfort you and show you they care. Pets teach us that it is important to take care of each other and be compassionate. Each of us have our own difficulties to get through in life, so don’t forget to be there for each other and show empathy.
4. Don’t Hold Grudges!
Something our pet teaches us best is to forgive and forget. There are times where we have to discipline our pet or say no to the food they are begging for from the table at dinner time. Or perhaps they are mad with us because we took away that shoe they stole to nibble on and play with. Nevertheless, will your pet really be mad at you an hour later? Not at all! Your pet is most likely back to being their happy self just a few moments later. There’s no doubt that our pets become upset with us from time to time but they teach us to forgive instead of holding grudges. Forgiveness is not always easy but maybe our pets can inspire us to try out best. After all, if we don’t move on, not only will we still be angry but not letting go can affect us emotionally. Life is a lot more enjoyable if we can choose to forgive and pick this tip up from our pets!
5. Appreciation For Small Things
We don’t always realize that sometimes it’s the small things that have the biggest meaning in life. If we pay close attention, this is something our pets demonstrate to us on a regular basis. Our pets get so much happiness out of just spending time with their owner and receiving a cuddle. They become so excited over small toys like a ball, stuffed toy, play tunnel or even simply going on a walk. Pets are not fixated on materialistic things the same way humans can be. They set the perfect example of being content with what you have, whereas at times we humans keep wanting that latest gadget. Having your pet as a reminder can help you to think of the small things in life that you appreciate. Perhaps it’s as small as watching the sunset down by the lake or a thoughtful text from a loved one.
6. Unconditional Love
Our pets love us no matter what. Dogs and cats are non-judgmental and love us regardless of our situation. It makes no difference to them whether we have a nice house, how we look, what our job is or the challenges and battles we are faced with in life. Furthermore, our pets continue to love us even when they are angry or sad with something we did. They never give up on us and love us regardless of how we behave towards others or even them sometimes. Our pets continue to love us at our worst. With this in mind, we too can work on loving each other unconditionally.
7. Don’t Forget to Play and Have Fun!
Our pets are the perfect reminder to not forget to make time for fun and play. Many of us have full schedules and responsibilities but we must remember that taking a break to have fun is important for our well-being. Every now and then we need to do a fun activity so that we can de-stress and rewind. It doesn’t matter to our pets whether they are a kitten, puppy or an older cat or dog. To them play doesn’t stop at a young age, they are happy playing at any age as long as they are able to. So schedule in some play and fun time- perhaps its playing a sport with friends, having a family board game night, going on a hike or spending the day at the beach. Life is short so take a break once and a while, have some fun and make the most of it!
