As wonderful as this time of year can be, it can also be a stressful one, too. Finals, end of classes, shopping for presents, plans to travel, tons of events and parties etc. can all catch up to us. But at the end of the day we need to remember to take the time to just sit back, relax, and take time for ourselves. Even if it's just for a couple minutes.
As you all know, I'm crazy about my dog #sorryI'mnotsorry #andneverwillbe haha! But seriously, Layla is my go-to girl when I need to just sit back and breathe. It's amazingly therapeutic to be with her, and I forgot these past few days how much it can be necessary to just slow down for a few minutes. Saturday and Sunday were go, go, go all day type days. I was working on final projects and studying all day Saturday that I hardly paid Layla any attention at all. Her birthday was on Sunday and I was maybe home for a full two hours between church, social events, and more church stuff, and Monday was the same as Sunday plus my final class at night.
Needless to say that I was feeling pretty burnt out Monday night when I got home. It was a little after 9pm, I was exhausted, wanted to go straight to bed, but then I caught sight of Layla. Just as sweet, loving, and happy to see me as usual even though I had been so caught up in myself the past three days. I had hardly spent any time with her, and I felt awful.
I knew she hadn't been out on a walk that day since it was raining all day but it finally stopped so I grabbed her leash and asked her if she wanted to go for a walk even though it was after bedtime. You would've thought by her reaction that I told her she just won the lottery (of treats haha). She was so happy to be invited to go somewhere with me and I made her whole day just by giving her my time.
We weren't gone long, maybe 25 minutes, but it was to give Layla a mental break from being cooped up all day, stretch her legs before bed, and to relax together. When we got home she was just so excited to have my undivided attention that I played tug of war with her favorite rope toy. Yes I was still tired, still burnt out, and wanted to sleep but it was worth staying up those 15 extra minutes to play with her. Once she was tuckered out I just laid on my bedroom floor and Layla LOVES it when you lay on the floor with her. She came right over, plopped herself down on my chest (yep she's 70lbs...), and started trying to lick every inch of my face she could reach. I had her stop and so she laid her head tucked under my chin and gave a contented sigh.
As I laid there on the floor with Layla cuddled up, I started thinking about how it was worth staying up an extra hour after getting home. I was feeling so much better already and totally relaxed. I thought to myself "when was the last time I took the time to simply be with her without any distractions?" and I knew it had to be either Thursday or Friday. It might sound crazy to people but that was a long time for me to go without connecting with my dog.
I have learned a lot from Layla and I think you will find any dog owner who is crazy about their dog say the same thing. She teaches me so much about just enjoying the simple things in life, soaking up the moment, and of course unconditional love. There are so many days that I feel like I don't deserve her love because no matter what I say or do, she still sees me as worthy of love. I joke around with Amanda and tell her that God sent us dogs as a reminder of his perfect and unconditional love, but it's really not that much of a joke and never was. My point is that being with Layla teaches me to slow down and open my eyes to see things a little bit differently in life.
I'm done with finals now, but the past few days I've been much more intentional about taking those few minutes to sit with myself and God, and to re-charge a bit. I try to appreciate the little things more despite the mountainous to-do list waiting for me. My goal is to find the Lord in each day because even if I'm feeling stressed out, have tons to do, or whatever is going on in my life I know that it's all part of a plan. What's going on now is shaping me for the future.
So as we are in the midst of the holiday season, let's all try to be a little more mindful of spending more time in the moment. Our society has become extremely fast-paced that it is nearly impossible to keep up all the time. All the little moments and small things that make us smile can pass us by if we're not careful. Look for the blessings, the little things, take the time to sit back, and it's amazing what you can find.
Best of all I think it's pretty cool that I learned this just by laying on the floor with my dog. It truly is the little things.
As you all know, I'm crazy about my dog #sorryI'mnotsorry #andneverwillbe haha! But seriously, Layla is my go-to girl when I need to just sit back and breathe. It's amazingly therapeutic to be with her, and I forgot these past few days how much it can be necessary to just slow down for a few minutes. Saturday and Sunday were go, go, go all day type days. I was working on final projects and studying all day Saturday that I hardly paid Layla any attention at all. Her birthday was on Sunday and I was maybe home for a full two hours between church, social events, and more church stuff, and Monday was the same as Sunday plus my final class at night.
Needless to say that I was feeling pretty burnt out Monday night when I got home. It was a little after 9pm, I was exhausted, wanted to go straight to bed, but then I caught sight of Layla. Just as sweet, loving, and happy to see me as usual even though I had been so caught up in myself the past three days. I had hardly spent any time with her, and I felt awful.
I knew she hadn't been out on a walk that day since it was raining all day but it finally stopped so I grabbed her leash and asked her if she wanted to go for a walk even though it was after bedtime. You would've thought by her reaction that I told her she just won the lottery (of treats haha). She was so happy to be invited to go somewhere with me and I made her whole day just by giving her my time.
We weren't gone long, maybe 25 minutes, but it was to give Layla a mental break from being cooped up all day, stretch her legs before bed, and to relax together. When we got home she was just so excited to have my undivided attention that I played tug of war with her favorite rope toy. Yes I was still tired, still burnt out, and wanted to sleep but it was worth staying up those 15 extra minutes to play with her. Once she was tuckered out I just laid on my bedroom floor and Layla LOVES it when you lay on the floor with her. She came right over, plopped herself down on my chest (yep she's 70lbs...), and started trying to lick every inch of my face she could reach. I had her stop and so she laid her head tucked under my chin and gave a contented sigh.
As I laid there on the floor with Layla cuddled up, I started thinking about how it was worth staying up an extra hour after getting home. I was feeling so much better already and totally relaxed. I thought to myself "when was the last time I took the time to simply be with her without any distractions?" and I knew it had to be either Thursday or Friday. It might sound crazy to people but that was a long time for me to go without connecting with my dog.
I have learned a lot from Layla and I think you will find any dog owner who is crazy about their dog say the same thing. She teaches me so much about just enjoying the simple things in life, soaking up the moment, and of course unconditional love. There are so many days that I feel like I don't deserve her love because no matter what I say or do, she still sees me as worthy of love. I joke around with Amanda and tell her that God sent us dogs as a reminder of his perfect and unconditional love, but it's really not that much of a joke and never was. My point is that being with Layla teaches me to slow down and open my eyes to see things a little bit differently in life.
I'm done with finals now, but the past few days I've been much more intentional about taking those few minutes to sit with myself and God, and to re-charge a bit. I try to appreciate the little things more despite the mountainous to-do list waiting for me. My goal is to find the Lord in each day because even if I'm feeling stressed out, have tons to do, or whatever is going on in my life I know that it's all part of a plan. What's going on now is shaping me for the future.
So as we are in the midst of the holiday season, let's all try to be a little more mindful of spending more time in the moment. Our society has become extremely fast-paced that it is nearly impossible to keep up all the time. All the little moments and small things that make us smile can pass us by if we're not careful. Look for the blessings, the little things, take the time to sit back, and it's amazing what you can find.
Best of all I think it's pretty cool that I learned this just by laying on the floor with my dog. It truly is the little things.
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