65 Days of Little Delights

Getting a puppy a couple of months ago while also juggling our usual daily/weekly deadlines and personal/family/friend commitments has forced me into a place of patience and observation I wasn't expecting to find.

Our Bertie is so much fun and oh so funny (read her gotcha story here). 

But she's also a puppy who needs routine, lots of attention, lots of naps, lots of patience and lots of repetition. All of this has forced me into slowing down a bit. Taking walks at her pace. Throwing balls in the back yard (the one thing she can laser focus on). Adjusting our driveway parking patterns to accommodate her instinct to bolt. Working my days in different kinds of blocks to accommodate Bertie's routine.

It won't be long before she won't need this level of attention and will be far more self-sufficient to stay alone longer, walk calmly off the leash, and stop chasing every squirrel that crosses her path. In the meantime, I've resolved to enjoy my slow time with her and accommodate accordingly. 

On my many slow walks with Bertie, I've tried to listen to music instead of political podcasts. I've stopped to talk with neighbors I didn't know who wanted to meet Bertie. I've tried to take notice of the homes I pass daily taking in front door colors or the variety of shrubs in their yards. 

After a few days of this slower walking routine, I started a list in my phone notes with some of the observations that made me think beyond just what I'd seen. Then I started adding other observations of things that made me smile over the course of a day.

In reading back through this growing list over the past few days, I realized almost everything is something that delights. And often because of the random connect points of daily life. I like that! 

So ... for a specific time period of time, I'm trying something new to hold myself accountable to this practice of observing these delights. Hopefully the fact this isn't a new year's resolution or a change forced by a bad habit will make this little journey fun.

For the next 65 days, I'm going to focus on one little thing that delights - whether it's my friend's red door, Bertie's attempts at catching a ball mid-air, an unexpected kind note, perfect yellow Gerbera daisies for my Trader Joe's arrangements, an unplanned mid-week boat ride, an old photo slipping out of a book, or a memory sparked in my mom.

My discipline will be a social story post (hopefully) daily for the next 65. That's easy and manageable (unlike a New Year's Resolution.)

Join me on my FB or Insta stories get in on my 65 Days of Little Delights.

 

 


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