Relationships are one of the most frustrating learning experiences of life and yet I find myself constantly gravitating to enrich, nurture, and even push when they don’t want it the most. I often ask myself why I continue to fight, even with myself, for maturing the individual and relationship thinking there must be a type of masochism associated for me but in honesty I just want better for myself. I want the people around me to be better, I want them to struggle less with the things that trip them up in life, I want them to find an inner peace, and I want my relationship with them to have the level of maturity I have or want to evolve to. Perhaps this is selfish, perhaps it’s self centered, but perhaps it’s loving oneself.
I was once told in order to love someone else you have to love yourself first. Over the years I have understood the many meanings of this but it wasn’t until years of running the website that I began living my life by it. Having something in your life that makes you come to terms with who you are can simply teach self love. Now I use the term “simply” loosely and one must be open to being taught about oneself before any change and evolution happens but one thing is for certain, if you are open to the experience it will change you forever. Now you may be spending much of your spare time getting those you are in relationships with caught up to your speed and as frustrating of a fight as it might be it can be the most rewarding battle of your lifetime. What then can you say but, “My life has been rich, my life has been full, and my life has been rewarding.” Even if the process makes the days seem long and anguished.
That’s when I think of the simpler things in life, something Sigmund has been teaching me much about. I never quite believed, or perhaps it was a lack of understanding, that a puppy could train you for kids but after these past three weeks I am beginning to grasp the idea of what they mean. One moment he has me frustrated and I have to remind myself he’s only an 11 week old puppy, then I realize how young he was when we brought him home, and the next moment he’s making me laugh hysterically by running off with the paper recycling bag that is bigger than he is knowing quite well he isn’t supposed to. It’s the little rewards of his soft kisses and sweet snugly nuzzles that seems to melt my frustrations away. If only I could see clearer the little rewards my human relationships provide, it might make life a little softer for us all.
Since it is the time of puppy socialization my bedmate and I took Sigmund to visit Patrick and his Great Dane/Labrador mix Oliver.
It was the first time Sigmund has been around another male dog and one that is much larger than he is.
Honestly I was uncertain how the play date was going to be but all in all I think it went quite well.
Sigi was giving Oliver kisses by the time we left.
