I missed the memo about National Dog’s Day so I thought this post was apropos.

I have been on a joy journey these last few years.  It’s something I wanted more of in my life.   I didn’t need exotic vacations or a lot of disposable income.  I just wanted to feel happy…more often.  I even named one of my dogs “Joy” to bring that state of being closer to me.

Two years ago we adopted Ginger from Louisiana.  She was about 6 months old at the time, although she was born a stray so we can’t really know her exact age.  Ginger experienced a lot of trauma in the first few months of her life.  Clearly she had to find her own food, perhaps from garbage cans.  She had mange, a skin condition she probably acquired from her mother.  When she was found, she was placed in a high-kill shelter and was given 48 hours to find a home or be euthanized.

Lucky for Ginger she was discovered by a rescue organization in Louisiana, was bailed out of her ominous fate in the knick of time and spent several weeks with a foster to see if she would be a good candidate for adoption.  Around this time, our beloved Labrador retriever Casey was coming to the end of her time on earth.  After she passed, I asked my vet and friend to keep her eye out for a rescue that might fit our family.  Dr. Ross, who knows my affinity for essential oils, couldn’t help but share with me that very same evening pictures of Ginger, who was placed with my vets favorite foster, someone with an eye for dogs that make good family pets.  Ginger’s name at the time…Lavender.  Our vet thought it was a sign that she was meant for us.  She was cute as a button in the video.  Without much extra thought we filled out the adoption paperwork and Lavender was loaded with dozens of other adopted dogs on an 18 wheeler bound for north of the Mason Dixon Line through an organization called Rescue Roadtrips.  The ride to the good life was a frightening experience for all the dogs I am sure, but she made it.

Ginger, as I’ll now refer to her, came to us a little scared, but super sweet.  It took only one week with us before I could trust her off leash at Bay Farm nature preserve.  I think pretty quickly Ginger realized that her life had changed dramatically for the better.  She had a family in which someone was home most of the time, a fenced backyard (that she learned to leap over), comfort, bed, roof, a family, a dog sister and lots of love!

My husband Mike said one day on our walk at Bay Farm “we should live our lives asking “What would Ginger do?”.”  She was always firmly in the moment.  Most of those moments revolved around her chasing crickets and butterflies, leaping in the air with joy every time a new dog approached that she could meet, chasing her tail, licking various parts of herself, finding a way to squeeze herself onto the already full couch – she has no problem sitting right on top of you, or resting.

Sometimes she gets scared.  She doesn’t like thunder or being alone.  Ginger is not always joyful.  She had a very challenging beginning for a being, but we can’t help but marvel at her (and most dogs) that they move on from their challenges as soon as they can, unlike many people who wear them as badges, wanting to talk about what’s wrong with their lives or what’s wrong with the world.  We often refer to Ginger as “10 second Tom” a character with short-term memory loss whose brain resets every 10 seconds from one of our favorite comedies “50 First Dates”.  Ginger is like that.  She easily moves on from things and gets right back to frolicking, sleeping or licking her dog parts.  She isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

When I say “what would Ginger do?” I mean I should just embrace whatever the heck is showing up for me in that moment.  It might be a suckfest, but it will pass and I’ll inevitably learn something from it.  It might be awesome or it might be boring.  Just let it be whatever it is.  With certainty the moment will pass so why waste it thinking about anything but being in the moment and feeling what there is to feel?

I like to wonder about the universe and why things exist or happen.  I need to get a little better at loving mystery over mastery, but I’m pretty sure that God made dogs to show us how to be fully present in the present and to show us what unconditional love looks like.  I feel so blessed to have such a wise teacher! <3