Why Your Dog Is More Spiritual Than You

Why Your Dog Is More Spiritual Than You

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but there's a pretty good chance your dog has reached a higher level of spiritual enlightenment than you have.

While you're reading books about mindfulness, listening to podcasts about living in the present, buying crystals, analyzing your energy, and wondering whether Mercury is once again personally responsible for screwing up your week...

Your dog is lying upside down on the couch with all four legs in the air.

Completely at peace with the Universe.

Maybe we've been looking for spiritual masters in all the wrong places.

Perhaps enlightenment has been sleeping at the foot of our bed this entire time.

Your Dog Actually Lives in the Present

Humans love talking about being present.

Then we spend breakfast thinking about work, work thinking about dinner, dinner thinking about tomorrow, and bedtime replaying something stupid we said in 1997.

Dogs don't seem particularly interested in 1997.

Your dog wakes up and thinks:

WE'RE AWAKE! THIS IS AMAZING!

Then:

BREAKFAST! THIS IS AMAZING!

Then:

YOU PICKED UP THE LEASH! THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!

Dogs aren't constantly comparing the present moment with some imaginary better moment.

They're experiencing the one they're actually in.

Metaphysically speaking, that's pretty advanced stuff.

Dogs Understand Energy Better Than We Do

Have you ever noticed how quickly a dog seems to read someone?

A person walks into the room and before you've even finished saying, "This is my friend Steve," your dog has already conducted a complete energetic background investigation.

Sometimes they immediately love someone.

Other times they stand there staring at the person as if they're thinking:

I don't know what Steve did, but I'm watching him.

Dogs pay attention to body language, tone, movement, smell, tension, excitement, and all kinds of subtle signals we humans often overlook.

Whether you call that instinct, heightened senses, intuition, or energetic awareness, dogs seem remarkably tuned into what is happening around them.

Meanwhile, we ignore six giant red flags because somebody has a nice smile.

Maybe we should consult the dog more often.

Dogs Don't Hold Grudges Very Well

You accidentally step on your dog's paw.

They look at you like you've committed the greatest betrayal in the history of your relationship.

You apologize.

Thirty seconds later...

BALL?

Imagine humans doing this.

Think about how much emotional baggage we'd eliminate if we could occasionally say:

"Yes, that irritated me. I dealt with it. Now where's the tennis ball?"

Dogs aren't perfect, and they certainly can remember negative experiences, but they don't appear to spend nearly as much time mentally reopening old arguments just to see whether they're still angry.

Humans will resurrect something from twelve years ago with supporting documentation.

Dogs have moved on.

There's a lesson there.

Dogs Love Without Checking Your Résumé

Your dog doesn't care what you do for a living.

Your salary doesn't impress them.

Neither does your car.

They don't care how many social media followers you have.

They have absolutely no interest in whether your kitchen countertops are granite.

Your dog cares about you.

Actually, your dog cares about you, food, walks, and possibly that squirrel outside.

But you're definitely high on the list.

Dogs remind us that some of life's deepest connections have absolutely nothing to do with status.

That's unconditional-love energy in one of its purest forms.

Dogs Know How to Receive Love

This one is important.

Humans can be terrible at receiving affection.

Someone compliments us:

"You look great today."

And we immediately respond:

"Really? I look terrible. I barely slept and this shirt is old..."

A dog doesn't do that.

Tell a dog:

"WHO'S THE BEST DOG IN THE ENTIRE WORLD?"

And they immediately think:

Obviously me. Continue.

No false modesty.

No insecurity.

No awkward deflection.

Just complete acceptance.

Maybe that's something we need to practice.

When love comes toward you...

Let it arrive.

Dogs Follow Their Joy

Dogs are remarkably clear about what makes them happy.

Walks.

Food.

Car rides.

Playing.

Sunshine.

Sniffing things we probably don't want explained.

Being near their people.

When something brings them joy, they enthusiastically participate.

Humans somehow became convinced that adulthood means we should occasionally avoid things we love because they aren't sufficiently productive.

Your dog would never understand this philosophy.

If chasing a ball makes life wonderful...

CHASE THE DAMN BALL.

Maybe our spiritual purpose doesn't always need to be complicated.

Sometimes we simply need to identify our metaphorical tennis ball.

Dogs Understand the Healing Power of Rest

Your dog has absolutely no guilt about taking a nap.

None.

They don't lie there thinking:

"I really should be accomplishing something."

They sleep.

Wake up.

Stretch.

Move three feet.

And sometimes...

Take another nap.

That's not laziness.

That's energetic management.

Dogs seem to intuitively understand something humans constantly forget:

Rest is part of life.

You don't have to earn every moment of relaxation.

Sometimes your body says stop.

Dogs listen.

Humans drink another coffee.

Dogs Seem to Know When We Need Them

This may be one of the most spiritual things about dogs.

There are moments when they seem to know.

You're sad.

You're stressed.

Something happened.

And suddenly your dog is closer than usual.

Maybe they put their head on your leg.

Maybe they sit beside you.

Maybe they simply stay nearby.

There doesn't need to be a conversation.

There doesn't need to be advice.

They don't say:

"Have you considered looking at this situation differently?"

Thank God.

They simply show up.

Sometimes presence is the most powerful healing energy we can offer another living being.

Dogs Don't Care What Anyone Thinks

Have you ever watched a dog suddenly sprint around the house for absolutely no reason?

The legendary zoomies.

There is no concern about dignity.

No wondering whether anyone is watching.

No thought about whether this behavior is appropriate for a dog of their age.

Just pure, uncontrolled joy.

Imagine if humans occasionally allowed ourselves that level of freedom.

Maybe not literally running around the living room at full speed.

Although I'm not ruling it out.

But metaphorically?

Absolutely.

Dance badly.

Sing loudly.

Laugh ridiculously.

Wear something weird.

Do something because it makes you happy.

Your dog isn't embarrassed by joy.

Why are we?

Dogs Practice Gratitude Constantly

Give your dog the same food they've eaten approximately 2,000 times.

Their reaction?

YOU HAVE PROVIDED FOOD! I LOVE YOU!

Take them on the same walk around the same neighborhood.

AN ADVENTURE!

Come home after being gone twenty minutes.

YOU RETURNED! I THOUGHT I HAD LOST YOU FOREVER!

Dogs find abundance in repetition.

That's incredible.

Humans constantly need something new before we become excited.

Dogs remind us that the things we experience every day can still be extraordinary.

Maybe Dogs Are Our Spiritual Teachers

Perhaps dogs didn't come into our lives simply to be pets.

Maybe they're here to remind us how to live.

Be present.

Trust your intuition.

Love enthusiastically.

Forgive quickly.

Rest when you're tired.

Play whenever possible.

Accept affection.

Protect the people you love.

Enjoy simple things.

Don't worry so much about looking ridiculous.

And when somebody you care about walks through the door...

Act like their arrival matters.

Maybe enlightenment isn't sitting alone on a mountaintop trying to understand the mysteries of existence.

Maybe enlightenment is sitting beside someone you love, completely content simply because you're together.

Your dog already understands that.

So tonight, while you're trying to figure out your purpose, analyzing the Universe, questioning your spiritual journey, and wondering whether your chakras are properly aligned...

Look over at your dog.

They'll probably be asleep.

Completely present.

Completely content.

Completely themselves.

And somehow, without ever reading a single metaphysical book...

they may have already figured out how to Make Peace With Life.