Day 913

My Goldens have few expectations in their world. Ranger expects to eat on time, Lilly expects to be treated as the alpha, San expects to be first and Gus… well, Gus has few expectations. They are all loved beyond measure and get loads of attention, so perhaps that is the key to being mostly satisfied with your lot in life.

With my mind going in that direction, I began to wonder why people are not satisfied with love and attention. Humans tend to have much higher expectations than my pack.

We expect that basic needs are met, but then greatly expand our presumptions to include fairness, equality, justice and “smooth sailing” just to name a few. Frustration builds when expectations fall short and many individuals react with “Why me?” Of course the universal answer is “Why not you?”

I look around at my Goldens and I have an epiphany of sorts. If I don’t set my expectations high, but take the day as it comes… all good things are met with gratitude. Expectations, if not set beyond our reach, move us toward goals. If set unreasonably high, disappointment comes crashing down on our heads.

Gus leads the way in approaching life with gratitude. He expects nothing, but simply appreciates and delights in what is given to him. Sweet boy!!!!! Trading disappointment for gratitude? Add in shared love and attention …sounds like a beautiful plan to me!