Typically, after school I meet
parents who are shuttling their children from band practice to sports practices and feeling very
stressed about managing sports, music, homework and dinner in a day. I know how you
feel. I loved the time when my children
were in elementary school but juggling all of their play dates and activities
with the idea of helping to create a well-rounded child was exhausting!
Now that my children are seniors--a senior in college and a senior in
high school- I listen to
their schedules, I worry about the
pace of their schedules too. Matt is on
his college soccer team and runs a business selling used textbooks to students.
Kristina is captain of her high school team, Vice President of the
School Council and is a peer counselor. I know I taught them the value of hard
work, ethics and integrity, and striving for achievement. But I wonder if I
have taught them the value of balance and enjoying the moment.
Often, I rely on my
friend's dog, Champ, to act as one of my better teachers. Champ is a large golden retriever with a
specific opinion about how he lives his life. I am fairly certain that Champ was a surfer dude
in California or Hawaii in a former life. When my friend is out of town and I
arrive to walk him, Champ does not jump up and down to greet me and circle
animatedly at the door in anticipation of a walk as most dogs do. No, Champ rolls over on the floor.
"Come on, Champ, let's go for a
walk!"
Champ looks at me as if I am crazy. 'Dude' he seems to say with his
large brown eyes, 'are you kidding me? Have you seen this
floor? It's a great floor. Come on, take a look at this floor! ' He wiggles on his back. 'Sit down with me.
You look a little stressed. Rub my belly. You'll
feel better.'
"Champ, you
need to go for a walk. You've been inside all morning."
His eyes implore
me. 'Karen, rub my belly. ' He wiggles some more as an invitation. I walk
over and rub his belly. He wiggles
happily and seems to say, 'You feel better now don't you?'
“Yes, Champ, yes I
do,” I tell him. The truth is I am
usually exasperated. I have things to
do. I have allotted 30 minutes to walk him, not half a day. "All right, Champ, a few more minutes
and then we have to go out." There
is just Champ and myself in the house. Champ wins me over by his sheer 150
pound bulk. He will not move from the
floor and I can’t pull him out the door.
Eventually, I lie on the floor and talk to him and stop worrying about
my to-do list. Finally, we leave the
house and start his walk. But Champ does not walk briskly like a typical golden
retriever. He pads slowly, sniffing each bush and blade of grass individually.
He greets every person with enthusiasm.
He invites everyone to pet him, rolling over on the ground if they do
not sense his personal invitation. Every dog receives an individual ritual of
greeting, whether that is sniffing each other or barking excitedly.
Taking Champ for a
walk is less about walking and more about a personal journey of discovery in
the day's delights. Thanks, Champ for being an excellent
teacher. I am going to try to remember
his lessons as we head into a particularly busy time of the year, and, if I
forget, I can always borrow Champ to remind me of what is important.
