Day 538
These "two little monkeys" are literally "jumping on the bed!" Mac and I were moving some furniture at the cottage this afternoon when Sam and Gus came to add a helping paw! At first, we tried to get them off the mattress so we could push it onto the box springs. Finally, we just gave up and watched their antics with a smile on our faces. They are only puppies for such a short time!
All of our Goldens (especially Sam) are velcro puppies. Wherever we are, they are too. Today, when I sat down for a moment to look at a magazine, Gus sat on my feet, Ranger and Lilly bookended my spot on the couch and Sam jumped up in my lap! I just put my head back and laughed. Magazines can wait. Instead, I allowed myself the joy of bonding with these amazing dogs. Their warmth, their need to touch and even their doggy smell filled my senses with gratitude and love.
Typically, I am a girl with an agenda. If you were to ask my husband, he would tell you that his wife has a hard time sitting and must be accomplishing "something" every possible moment. It is true that I am more of a 'doer' than a 'sitter', but that is a good way to lose precious moments with loved ones. Giving in to my brood of Goldens today made that idea profoundly true.
Perhaps we all need to savor those unexpected moments that might not repeat themselves. There is no shame in living in the moment and memorizing the feelings accompanying these precious "flashes" in our lives. Today, I allowed myself...no, forced myself...to embrace the feelings that these four dogs conjured up within my heart. Their devotion was palpable, their need to be close warmed my soul and the feel of that Golden hair as I stroked their heads and necks (Gus even got a backrub with my foot) calmed my spirit like nothing else. So often, the moment is missed when you might have been able to savor something on a visceral level...and it might not happen in quite the same way again.
So, I will attempt to "stop and smell the roses...or Goldens" and dismiss my "To-Do-List' from my mind now and then. We only pass this way once and I don't want to miss the gifts that present themselves every day...just so I can check off a chore that needs to be done.
Tonight, I may be putting up one of my numerous Christmas trees (Yes, it's on the list!), but I will be watchful for any opportunity to grasp one of those special "flash" moments before it disappears. I don't EVER want to miss a memory-in-the-making that will warm my heart!
