Day 945

My Goldens have amazing eye contact! When they were in training, our instructor had us put pieces of string cheese into our mouth and, whenever they did something good, we would spit them a piece...which they caught every time! It sounds a bit strange, but it encouraged them to look constantly at our faces in case something might just be coming their way!

Eye contact seems to be challenging these days. Being a real "eye contact" person, I believe it to be important for honest communication. I realize there are cultures that do not honor direct eye contact and I respect that, but most of the people in my life do not have that restriction.

When I think back to my own children, I did NOT spit string cheese their way, but I did listen to them 100% and was close enough to capture their eyes. I could always tell so much from those conversations. Their eyes told me if they were excited, frightened, sad or stretching the truth. They simply grew up looking people directly in the eye...string cheese or not!

When we go on Therapy Dog visits, I always try to have direct eye contact with the people we are there to see. It tells them that they are the most important thing in the moment and that they matter. With our seniors, who might have issues with eye sight, I still look them directly in the eyes. Somehow it feels like we are more connected that way and peripheral activities do not get in the way of our visit.

Even the pups look right into the eyes of our friends as we go from room to room on our many visits. It is amazing that these beautiful creatures seem to connect with more heart than many people I run into! In this day and age of cell phones and other media that are designed to grab our attention, human contact and connection still seem to be so much more real and rewarding!

The next time you visit with someone, try to keep your eyes connected with their eyes. The conversation will be deeper and more rewarding...even if you do not have string cheese in your mouth!