Let me introduce you to Lady, a ten-year-old cocker who’s been my buddy for a while now. Before meeting her, I often viewed dogs as simple beings that chased after balls and bothered people while they eat.
However, Lady has taught me more about life than any self-help guru ever could. She doesn’t read motivational books or have a master’s degree in psychology. Yet somehow she still manages to teach me valuable life lessons.
Here are some of them.
1. Find your passion and let it kill you
Let’s start with Lady’s prime directive in life: food. When it comes to that, she’s a hustler of the highest order.
She could’ve just thrown up from an upset stomach, but offer her food and she’ll find a way to gulp it down. If anyone dares ‘invade’ our home, she’ll be the first to hate on that stranger. Yet offer her a dog biscuit and voila, they’re BFFs.
Even the realm of dreams can’t hold her back. She’ll be twitching and dreaming about whatever dogs dream about, but the moment I open my refrigerator, she’ll be at my heels, awake as ever.
I’m telling you, she’ll sell her soul (sacrificial goats, anyone?) for one tiny dog treat. That’s all it takes to get her to let go of all her values and beliefs.
But she’s taught me what passion is. I’ve always admired people who pursue their goals with a single-minded tenacity. And Lady’s the doggo version of that.
If I only had half the enthusiasm she shares for food, I’d be so much more successful than I am right now.
2. The meaning of unconditional love
Honestly, I think Lady’s understanding of love should be researched by scientists. I’ve accidentally stubbed her, sometimes forgotten her dinner, and yet, she still loves me like I’m the last human on earth.
She doesn’t hold grudges or write lengthy posts about it on her blog. She just goes on loving me for who I am—a mostly reliable food-giver who occasionally kicks her in the dark.
Often in life, we show love in hopes of getting something in return. That could be something as selfish as lust, to more material gains like money. I’ve certainly loved conditionally many times over.
But all Lady has to do is curl up in my lap—despite all my shortcomings—and I’m reminded just what it means to love someone unconditionally.
3. Live in the moment
Lady’s attitude towards life has also helped me appreciate the present moment. For Lady, every walk is an adventure, regardless of the number of times we’ve walked down the same path.
She still sniffs at the same blade of grass like she didn’t just spend five minutes doing the same thing the day before. And she keeps barking at the same traffic cone even though it never harmed her once. We’ve passed that cone more than a hundred times now.
But does she care? No! Yesterday’s issues don’t matter, and tomorrow is a lifetime away.
Isn’t that true, though? Think about all the worries we used to have in the past. And yet, here we are, still alive. You, still reading a random Malaysian’s blog post. Me, still writing random blog posts.
Maybe living in the moment is something to strive for, after all.
4. A 1% chance is still a chance
Lady’s relentless optimism is something to behold, too. Every time I chop the vegetables, she’ll be perched between my feet, ever hopeful for that rare cucumber drop.
Sure, the odds of that happening are slim—like one in a hundred. But don’t tell her that. It’s not like she cares anyway. She’s a hustler, remember?
Here’s the thing, though. Food does drop from time to time. And it’s not out of pity either. Every time that happens, she’ll be in the perfect position to seize that opportunity.
So every time you find yourself dismissing an idea because there’s a ‘low chance’ of something good happening, you remember Lady and the hundreds of vegetable slices she’s managed to score during her lifetime.
5. You don’t know everything
Perhaps the most intriguing lesson I’ve learned from Lady is the art of accepting myself. She will never understand algebra, the intricacies of fine art, or the wonders of chemistry.
But I know what those things mean, and only I know what she’s missing out on. Lady, though? She’s content licking her privates and hounding me when I open the refrigerator.
That’s taught me that there are levels to living. Maybe I think I’m much smarter than her, but what other planes of consciousness are there? And how much more am I unable to perceive?
For all I know, an all-knowing being exists on another plane, looking at me like I’m an idiot for not understanding their equivalent of fine arts (or whatever they have on that level of existence). And I wouldn’t be able to grasp it, no matter how hard I try.
It’s given me peace to accept the level I’m operating on. To not bark up the wrong tree (heh) in trying to understand the meaning of life.
Not all learning takes place in the classroom
It’s interesting to notice the person I’ve become after having Lady as a companion. Before this, I couldn’t imagine myself caring for others—let alone beings who are totally dependent on me.
But here I am, a sucker for doggos now, learning all I can from this sometimes-dumb furry who barks at traffic cones for no reason.
Yet, I’ve come to love Lady for who she is. And despite her not being able to understand why I stare at a bright screen for hours a day, she still knows what it’s like to love.
Maybe that’s how we can bridge the gap between the different planes of existence. Maybe I won’t ever understand the algebra of the enlightened world, but I do know love. And I’m sure they do too.
And perhaps love is the answer after all. Or maybe I’m just overthinking this thing with my dog.
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Stuart Danker 
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