Turbo

Turbo’s guest post was a popular one last year. Indeed, he has so many lessons to share it’s worth revisiting this week.

Hello and let me introduce myself. My name is Turbo, and I am the wonder dog in the Nicholls’ house. My mom, who usually writes here, is a bit bogged down today and so I offered to share some Monday musings with all of you. Grab some coffee, tea, or whatever your preference is, and let me share some ideas with you.

Now I don’t know much about computers or medical transcription. What I do know is that it’s the thing that only lets me see the back of my mom’s head most days. Instead, what I’d like to share with you are some life lessons I’ve learned in my short time here. I hope you’ll enjoy them and look forward to hearing your comments. (My mom will read them to me.)

Be Eternally Optimistic

This one has served me well. No matter what has happened in life, I keep a good attitude. For example, in our old house, a rabbit lived in the back yard. Every time I went out the door, the chase was on. While I never did catch that rabbit, I always believed I would and I never stopped trying. Even on rainy days, when it meant I came in covered in mud, I still tried, always believing THIS would be the day I won. These days, when my mom or dad get ready to go somewhere, I’m always waiting at the door. Who knows?! Today just might be one of the days I get to go for a ride in the car! They can tell me “not this time” and I’ll still be there the next time they head out.

Isn’t life like that? We can never give up. No matter what our dreams, no matter how many times we may fail, the only real failure is in giving up. Sometimes it seems it would just be easier to forget about it, find a new dream, or just stop all together. “Never give up” should be our mantra in life, even when the rainstorms come, and even if we get muddy in the process.

Never Expect Someone to be What They’re Not

I love unconditionally. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since my mom has been home, when she walks in the door it’s as if it were just an hour or two since she left. I am always glad to see her, always greet her with excitement, and she always get kisses.

I don’t really expect a lot from my humans. I simply expects they will feed me, let me out when I ask, and take care of me. In return, they have my unconditional love and protection. What an awesome thing. Okay, I DO expect they will take me for rides in the car, but that’s part of taking care of me.

What I do not expect is that they will be anything but the humans who love me. I doesn’t expect them to dig for bones in the yard, I doesn’t expect them to be anyone different than the people they were when I came into their lives. And for that, simply, I love them.

Even when I don’t get all of the attention I want, I still love. When my mom’s mother died a few years ago, I was there. I knew she was sad and just stuck close. I laid on the couch with my head in her lap and just let her pet me. I was simply, there.

At the same time, my mom doesn’t expect me to be anything other than what I am. While I am certainly her baby, I’m a dog. She doesn’t expect me to be a human and doesn’t expect me to do human things. If I dig a hole in the yard, well, I’m a dog. If I get in the garbage (which I rarely do, that’s just gross), well, I’m a dog. That doesn’t change her love for me. It is unconditional.

What if we treated those with love with that same unconditional love? Let’s face it, humans mess up. It’s just a part of life. And yet sometimes we withhold our love and affection when someone important to us has messed up. How often do you hear “I thought he/she would change!” Just like I will never be a human, that person in our life won’t change either. And if we love them, it should be unconditional. Just imagine how the relationships in your life will change!

Here’s one of my favorite videos about dogs and humans. Get your Kleenex because Mom says this one could be a tear jerker!

Family is Important

I’m pretty lucky here. I have a great uncle who let me stay with him while my mom went to Barbados to live. He took really good care of me and taught me a lot of things. I have some wonderful kids in my life too, my cousins if you will. It took me some time to get used to having little ones around, but they can be fun. The only problem I have with them now is that they tend to play and rough house. Now I don’t mind that, I want to join in the fun! Still, I sometimes forget that I’m still bigger than they are and we don’t play the same. I still don’t understand why they think I “bit” that child, I only had his head in my mouth, left no teeth marks, and was just playing! What’s great about family, though, is they are still around and that little boy will still lay on the floor and pet me even today!

Do Something Fun Every Day

Like many of you, my mom works at home. It is often easy to find her at the end of a very long day, still at the computer, and not having stopped all day. Not a healthy way to live and enjoy life.

I always take time to relax, to enjoy whatever it is about my day. It doesn’t matter if I’m laying in the backyard relaxing, chasing a rabbit, going for a walk, or going for a ride in the car. There is a break in the day.

I’m a pretty funny dog and have taught Mom the value of laughter every day. She laughs when I chase something, when I get stuck, or even when I beg for something like my treats. I once heard someone tell my mom they wouldn’t have a dog, too much work, too much trouble, what if you go out of town, etc. My mom said quite simply: He makes me laugh every day.

Much has been written about the health values to laughter in our lives. It activates our immune system, decreases stress hormones, exercises muscles, and in general makes us feel better. Even when my mom lived in Barbados, she would call me on the phone, ask my uncle to put the phone out for me, and talk to me. I always knew it was “Mom” and my uncle was great about describing my quest to find me in the phone. Even then, I made her laugh.

Find something every day to stop and enjoy. Have fun. Work should be fun, and it shouldn’t be all that life is about. No matter what it is you enjoy, take some time every single day to do it. And remember, laugh!

Make Good Friends

I’ve had some good friends so far in life. When I first came here, there was another dog living in our house. She and I became good friends, whether we were playing in the yard or just hanging around the house doing nothing. Then there was my friend, Ard. He is a cat. Ard and I were friends and played together once I figured out that cats are very different from dogs. I even rescued him from a tree once. Ard doesn’t live here anymore, though; I’m not sure if he ran away or if someone else adopted him. I still miss him sometimes.

Friends come in all kinds of variety. We have friends who are confidantes when we are mulling something over in life. We have friends we go out and have fun with. We have friends who act as mentors in our lives. Sometimes our friends are in person, sometimes they are miles away, sometimes they are online.

The best friend, to me, is one with whom you can simply “be.” No need to talk, no need to be busy doing, but you can just be. It’s the friend who will go to the beach and just sit by the water and watch it, no conversation necessary. It’s the friend who, when invited over, doesn’t always say “ok, what are we going to do?” It’s the friend who understands that sometimes it’s okay to be together and still be silent.

Treasure your friends, and make the kind with whom you can just be.

Always Be Thankful

I came from a rescue home and have always been thankful that I now have a forever home. I try to show that every day. How do I do that? My kisses, hugs (yes, a dog can hug, I just snuggle into my humans’ neck and they know they’ve been hugged), and my faithfulness.

I’ve learned in life to be thankful for the things and people I have in my life. Too often we can focus on what we don’t have or how we wish things were. That’s a lot of wasted energy on something that’s negative. Instead i choose to focus on the positive, and be thankful for what I do have.

Take a few minutes every day to be thankful for what you have in your life. Not just the things, but the people, the experiences, life in general. It makes all the difference.

And Now Over To You!

I know my post is long today. You see, I had so much to share with you and had to take advantage of having someone around to type it for me. (I’d do it myself, but I don’t have thumbs!) What other lessons have you learned in life that have served you well? I will look forward to your responses in the comment section.

Have a great week!