Ringo’s Guide to Having a Good Day

 

Ringo’s Big Adventure

(Last Chapter Maybe?)

Ringo’s Guide to
Having a Good Day

by Dallas Doctor

 

Ringo Having a Good Day

First, he opens one eye, then the other, then both eyes wide, to check and see if the day’s really beginning.  And if it is, his tail starts a-waggin’…

Ringo likes to start the day with a great big stretch!  He’ll take a minute to get reacquainted with what his body feels like.  He pushes out his paws as far as they’ll go and arches his back.  He makes himself extra long and holds it for a few seconds.  He feels every muscle wake up.  Then he yawns big.  He pulls in as much air as he possibly can and follows that with a nice loud exhale.

But the next thing is the real genius of Ringo: He lets me know he’s ready to go outside for that first doggie-walk of the day, but surprisingly, he does it, not by trying to force it, but by waiting for it.  Of course, I never make him wait long, so it took me a while to recognize the magic of what he’s doing. He patiently watches me get up and get going, never once losing interest in the coming walk, but at the same time, clearly indicating he’s willing to take the day as it comes.

That’s his secret: he’s willing to take the day as it comes.

He waits.  He watches.  He knows the morning routine.  He’s aware of every nuance of every move.  And as the moment of departure approaches, he starts to dance.  He gets so excited he almost can’t control the pitter patter of his paws anymore.  And once I finally reach for the leash, he runs, jumps and spins. He gets so excited it’s often a challenge to attach the leash.  But after one last momentary pause, while we get connected, we’re both out the door and Ringo switches into full-on-greet-the-day mode.

And this is where his willingness-to-wait-for-it begins to pay off: he sees, hears, sniffs, and feels everything — the temperature, the breeze, the falling leaf, the scent of the critter that scurried by earlier … Ringo’s aware of it all.  And he absolutely loves it. Ringo’s enthusiasm for each new day is inspiring; it’s something I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to pull off even though I watch him do it time and time and time again…

But here’s the thing: taking the day as it comes often means encountering the unexpected.  Sometimes a crash, or a bang, or even just a strange sound will make Ringo jump.  And when he jumps, believe me, he jumps!  He’s always living in the moment so when there’s fear, the fear is real.  But with Ringo, the fear is always temporary, because he’s willing to investigate.  He wants to go see where the fear came from.  That’s how he gets over it.  I’ve been trying to learn that from him.

Maybe the reason Ringo’s such a happy boy is that he’s not trying to be something he’s not.  He accepts himself for who he is.  I suspect that’s what allows him to live so well in every moment.  He jumps for joy when he’s he’s happy and he jumps out if his skin when he’s scared.  He enjoys every single second of every single doggie walk.  And even when the doggie-walk’s over, Ringo still reminds me what matters most in life; he drinks lots of water, takes deep breaths and helps me remember that relaxing is important too.

But the best moments are the moments we touch — the moments of actual physical contact.  Ringo does the cutest thing whenever he’s getting a belly-rub, or a scratch around the ears, or a tickle under his chin: he always reaches out his front paw to touch me back.  It melts my heart every time.

 

 


Feel free to share this story in any way you consider appropriate.  This is part of a collection of very simple short stories called: “Ringo’s Big Adventure” which is NOT to be confused with a similarly titled, but entirely different set of more complex stories with the working title “Conversations Overheard While Traveling with Ringo” which are ONLY available to my awesome supporters who are making these adventures possible over at patreon.com/dockity …  If you’d like to become part of the team and receive cool rewards in return, please visit patreon.com/dockity … Thank You!   Sincerely, dockity.


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