A Hero

My dog's name is Hero. That's not only his name... He really is a Hero. He's a sweet little guy who brings great joy to anyone he meets. As we were walking one morning, I reflected on how a dog's simplicity of being can be heroic until itself. Then It dawned on me that the very makeup of Hero's personality was a metaphor for some real-life lessons.?

Hero lives in the present. He does not get caught up in the past or get sidetracked by a temporary setback.??Sure, he occasionally has an accident in the house, and he'll have to endure a few moments of gentle verbal scolding, but he does not make it a psychological problem; life goes on. And so, it is with successful people. They too live in the present. They don't let the past define them nor obsess about the future. What counts is now. If you asked Hero what time it was, he wouldn't say it was 9:35 am or 1:17 pm; you'd confuse him. "The time?" he would ask. "It's now." How many of us straddle the past and future, only to miss what is happening now, at this very moment??

Hero's outlook on life is incurably optimistic. While he is not a big fan of thunder or fireworks, nothing else really bothers Hero, except when we need to leave him alone to run an errand or go to work. But when the thunderstorms stop or the July 4th festivities end, he has no complaints. Like Hero, we have got our hang-ups, fears, and worries, but sometimes we forget to let the gratitude for our many blessings transmute into optimism and goodwill.?

Hero lives a life of service…and he doesn't even know it. He's not an official service dog or comfort animal. Still, he serves up joy to our family and everyone he meets. He's just pure love. He's a friend, a confidant, a ray of sunshine, and just like his optimism, he's got an incurable case of service fever. He's the real deal.??I wonder how often we all take a moment to consider the service we render to others by simply being our true selves. When we take the mask off that we hide behind or when we throw away the script we think we need.???Like my buddy Hero, if we'd live more authentically in the present moment, we might find that we don't have even to try to serve others because, at our very core, we're designed to serve others.?

Hero does not judge. It doesn't matter who you are or what you are about; this dog's tail will wag regardless. He could care less about your skin color, the nature of your beliefs, your income, your gender, or your favorite sports team. He doesn't have time to judge. As I said before, he is not even aware of time. If we judged less, we'd get so much more.?

You don't have to like dogs to appreciate what they can teach you. So whatever you do, find your own Hero, and make it your business to be the teacher's pet.?