Ready to GO!

I always take the week before Thanksgiving off from work...every year, I observe the 3 days before the Holiday for me! All Hagar all of the time. I don't go anywhere, I watch some movies, I decorate my house, I relocate hidden cookies. I do some yoga, get a puppy massage, and really enjoy some quality time with rest and relaxation. I get to see my family and eat the scraps of a wonderful tofurkey meal.

When I return from the busy holiday, the Monday AFTER Thanksgiving, I am ready to go! This is such a time of year that demands rest from our bodies, taking some time prior to getting lost in the craze, can help ramp up our energy, strengthen our immunity and keep our spirits lifted! If you didn't take last week off, take a day or two in the next coming weeks - you will notice the benefit of doing so!

Stay charged with Hagar...

Rushing again

Last night in my yoga class, it seemed like everyone was moving so fast...the flow was fast, the movements were hurried and it took everything in my power to slow things down. I went into down dog and felt like I couldn't stay there...the time I spent in child's pose felt limited. What is making me feel like I'm in such a rush? Is it the season? Is it the quickly approaching Holiday and all that I am expected to do? I referenced back to my October blog Slow Down! and remember to question "what IS all the hurry anyway?'

Notice what happens when we rush through things...if we eat too fast, we can choke or feel sick...if we rush through a project, it gets messy and can end up being incomplete...driving fast causes accidents, talking fast creates anxiety, trying to work too fast at our jobs elevates the likelihood of errors... With so much negative associated with being in a rush, why do we continue to do it? Maybe it's society that pressures us, maybe it's us that puts the pressure on ourselves. Either way, becoming aware of the speed at which we do things is the first step to slowing down, creating an appreciation for things, taking in our surroundings, listening, smelling, soaking it in and ultimately learning to enjoy and live in each moment.

Again, slow down with your puppy...

Adventure

It is a rainy morning this Thursday and I was irritated to have to get my paws wet while I went outside. I wanted to crawl back into bed, which luckily since I am a puppy and don't have a real job, can do once everyone leaves...Although I am feeling like a sluggish puppy, I remember the importance of creating my own adventure everyday. Each day, I have an adventure with my superball, how fast can I swat it across the room, where will I hide my cookie today? How long will I wrestle with my ducky-toy today?

Listen to Hagar. Look at me as I tell you what you should do. Create your own adventure every single day. Add an element of excitement to your day by looking forward to a special coffee today, or treat yourself to a cookie, call an old friend, plan a mini-outing after your workday. Your adventure could be taking me for a long walk int he rain and then drying everyone off including yourself. Your adventure could be watching your favorite TV show tonight, or renting a movie. Put on some great music and read in your PJ's - or get into your PJ's early and pretend you're in a fancy hotel for the night. Have some appetizers as your dinner, or tackle a long put off project.

Create an adventure with your puppy...

Roll with the punches

It's so easy to take something personally...it's so easy to let somebody's bad mood, bad day or even bad life impact your mood or your day. Just because someone feels the need to shed their negative energy onto your light, doesn't mean you need to absorb it. Learn to roll with the punches, to be unaffected, to let things roll off your back, be rubber and not glue and go along with the flow. Try to remember that it's not WHAT happens in our daily lives and how bad a situation can be, but how YOU react to, that will really determine the severity of the situation. Picture yourself in an inflatable tube floating down the river, let the river bend and weave while you continue to just float along...if you try to kick your legs and arms, it will only make you tired as you cannot control the strength of the current of the river...

This is something that even I, Hagarboy, struggle with too - to let the river take me, to roll with the punches. When another doggie nips at me, or growls or barks at me, I take it personally and can sometimes feel sad - I can let it get to me...but I remind myself that if I continue to wiggle my tail and be friendly, and smile the situation will not interrupt my day. I might even have a positive impact on that other puppy...

Roll along, floate along and be unaffected with your puppy...

Dinner Plans

So often in our Western Culture, we take for granted having a nice sit down dinner. The hustle and bustle of our lives has forced us to do fast food, drive thru's, working dinners, skipping dinners, or dinner in front of the Television. For me, dinner is a time to come together at the end of the day, recap the day, talk through what I will be doing the following day or week and reconnect with myself while I nourish my body - refuel the furnace.

Make a festive dinner, pretend you're on a cooking show and making a fabulous dish. Set the table and call everyone together to sit and listen to music while you enjoy a non-celebration, celebration. We don't need a reason to have a nice dinner. It doesn't have to be a holiday to put out the nice china. Create a little bit of joy in what may seem like an average evening. Enjoy your loved ones and add a little bit of excitement throughout the week to keep your spirits up and your intuition sharp.

Eat dinner with your puppy...

Where are you going?

Doesn't it sometimes feel like we're always going, going, going? Going where? Going why? Are we running or searching? Is it something that is meant to be and just happen or are we forcing it? My mom has reminded me about how my Grandma would always wish for a new house. That all of her money issues, job worries, whatever, would go away if they had a new house... The reality is that "wherever you go, there you are." Plain and simple. You pack all your bags and baggage and take it with you. Moving, or going to a new location isn't necessarily going to solve our problems - sure maybe sometimes we all need a fresh start but how do you know when it's right?

I don't really have the answers to those sorts of questions but I know in order to tell the difference, make the right decision, or have the clarity to recognize what our next steps are, is to center yourself and get in touch with your intuition - the inner-sence and that force that guides us. Lie still and calm and quiet - breath deeply and close your eyes, clear your thoughts and allow yourself to tune in. Your intuition will guide you in the right direction and where to go.

Go there with your puppy...

Different Point of View...

Step away from the situation, take a breather, look at something from a different point of view. We are all faced with situations, projects, discussions, interactions, possible confrontations, misunderstandings, or miscommunication that can really add unnecessary complication or stress to our lives. It can create tension or angry feelings towards other and make our whole body tense up. What if, instead of reacting right away or being stubborn in your own way of thought, but instead, what if you tried to take a look from a different point of view? Instead of reacting, we retain for a moment and consider what is really going on.

I often think of dysfunctional dogs and wonder why everyone can't be like the Hagarboy...why the doggies down the stairs bark all of the time, why Bubba gets mad at the dog next door and you always have to say "no, no Bubba." ...why Malia is such a horrible house guest and eats so much... Before I react against our differences, I try to take a look from a different point of view. Maybe the dogs downstairs need to be listened to, maybe the dog next door hurt Bubba's feelings or maybe Malia is just spoiled and it's not her fault.

Either way, you need to take time to consider the alternative, give the benefit of the doubt and accept people for their differences. Take a step back from the situation, consider their experiences have shaped others as yours has you.

Take a different point of view with your puppy...

Look beyond the Action

Have you ever helped out another puppy, and then told everyone what you did? Do you know someone who has offered to lend you a helping hand and then continues to remind you of their assistance? Someone who takes on something and then complains the whole while they work on it? I heard the story yesterday about the wealthy man who donated alot of money to his place of worship during the collection - at the same time a very poor woman offered only two pieces of copper that didn't even equal a penny...why wasn't it the rich woman and the poor man, I'm not sure and that's a separate issue - different blog day for puppy. What the woman gave, all that she had, was more important than what the man gave. Not because of the worth of the donation, but because of the intention behind it. Point is that we have to look beyond the action into the heart of what drives those actions.

Do we take on more for recognition or do we do so because our heart is into it and we have a genuine passion to give more? What drives our service? Our actions? Do we share our cookie so that some day we can expect a cookie back? Or do we share because it's part of our nature, to give... Try to think before you merely produce an action, or act without thinking - if you're doing favors, helping out another doggie, do so with a humble heart and without looking for some sort of recognition. Give more from your heart to receive more internally...

Let the heart of your puppy drive your actions...

Creativity

Someone once asked a friend of mine "how many dimples are on a golf ball?" during an interview. Or there's the tale old interview question "how many man-hole covers are there in Michigan?" These questions are not necessarily meant to draw out an exact number or answer, but instead meant as a way to gauge one's creativity. How WOULD you find the answer to these questions...what is your method to getting answers to large scale or unique questions? How do you typically research things you are unfamiliar with? How do you creatively think?

Creativity is a mental and social process involving the creation of of new ideas / concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts. Maybe certain activities help stimulate your creativity...drawing, painting, reading, etc. You should keep doing these activities if that's the case to help your thought process continue to evolve. Try to keep your creativity sharpened and tested at all time - it will help add to your social appeal and people will definitely want to pet you more.

Think creatively with your puppy...

Accessorize

To accessorize: to furnish one's self, one's car, one's home with accessories...or objects / devices that are not necessarily essential in itself but add to the beauty, convenience, or effectiveness of something. For example, an accessory to my collar is the bandanna that the groomer will sometimes give me to add a little bit of festivity to my overall look.

Having the right bag, the right belt, a colorful necklace, something you enjoy as a bonus in your daily ride to work, can really help break up the monotony of the average day to day. With the economy in such a tight phase and everyone in the world limiting their spending, maybe we cannot furnish entire new wardrobes or households but by accessorizing here and there, it can make something old feel like new!

Remember to accessorize your puppy...

How much is too much Caffeine?

This morning on the radio, the DJ's were talking about energy drinks and caffeinated beverages and how they have become a staple for most of us in our daily lives. Without having our daily dose, we find that our bodies can react against us. We have a headache, we don't feel well, we get shaky, or feel worse, because of the reliance and tolerance we have built up around caffeine. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, alleviating fatigue and increasing wakefulness - 200 to 300 milligrams (mg), or about two to four cups of brewed coffee a day aren't necessarily harmful, but one should monitor closely.

Why do we even need it? Are we not getting enough sleep? When I find myself falling asleep standing up, I know it's time to get some additional rest. What if instead of relaying on unnatural energy drinks, sugar filled sodas or overly caffeinated beverages, we take five minutes to take ourselves through a seated, quiet, breathing meditation? What if we tried to go to bed earlier? Increase our water intake? Start our day with some exercise? What if we listened to our bodies and took a nap during a busy Saturday afternoon?

Take your cue from your puppy who does not need caffeinated beverages and instead sleeps away any sign of fatigue...puppies listen to their bodies and rest when they need to.

Listen to your puppy...

Calm before the Storm

I can't believe it's November...don't know why I can't believe it, not like we have the same 12 months in a row, year after year - but for some reason this time seems like it approached out of nowhere. These next few months can come to be a very busy time for us all. The stress of the Holidays, the pressure to purchase many cookies for your loved ones, functions to attend, places to be, the hustle and bustle...makes me want to crawl back under the blankets and wake up in time for spring.

Prepare now...start to calm your body - close your eyes and map out the next couple of days, weeks and plan out accordingly. Use lists and maximize your time wisely. By mentally preparing your mind and body, you're more likely to come into the season well prepared and stress free. Nobody likes a stressed puppy during holiday functions, and stressed puppies in the shopping world creates for the potential of fights / altercations in places like Pet Smart.

Calm your mind with your puppy...

Remember...

I woke up this morning feeling a little bit blue that the weekend was over. I had such an amazing time with my family and loved ones, that I didn't want to the hustle and bustle of the work week to begin just yet. I got eggs two days in a row and even a McDonald's hamburger. There were so many little ones around me and feeding me cookies and today I am by myself putting away my costume, cleaning up the mess and getting back on track preparing for what's next.

Maybe I'll just take a moment to remember how much fun I had this weekend...when no one is looking, I'll put my warrior costume back on and take a moment to play. I'll close my eyes and remember what a wonderful time I had...that will help me get through the week...

Just because a "big event" is over, doesn't mean that you have to forget it. Take a moment to really soak into the memory and carry it with you to put a smile on your face. We can't live in the past but by visiting the goodness of it from time to time, it reminds us to smile and enjoy those around us.

Laugh at the puppy...