guardians of being

on a recent evening, i found myself navigating an intense conversation with my beloved kevwrex.

we got tangled up in a talk about the future, the kind of discussion where frustration, worry, and fear of the unknown creep in and cause stress.

in the midst of our swirly chat, our dog daria entered the room and subtly stationed herself betwixt us.

at the height of our emotions, we paused for a moment of silent contemplation.

in this quiet space, daria looked calmly at both of us and released the loudest, most fantastically hilarious dog belch we have ever heard...

we both immediately started howling with laughter and nearly fell on the floor with pure delight.

our moods promptly lifted, our conversation shifted, and our smiles returned.

daria jean beauty queen brought us back into the moment with the grace of a burp.

eckhart tolle refers to pets as "guardians of being" because they help us stay in the now...



millions of peoplewho otherwise would becompletely lost in their mindsand in endless past and future concernsare taken back by their dog or cat
into the present moment,again and again, 
and reminded of the joy of being.

{book}

i am deeply grateful that my darling dog reminds me to stay grounded in the present.