Six months! Is it time to celebrate?
Recently, my hubby underwent a battery of eye tests (no pun intended, but it’s not looking good). One that was particularly frustrating was the Visual Field test.
You stare through a machine at a screen with a large image of concentric circles. The machine flashes dots of light, one at a time, at various places on the chart, and you have to press a button whenever you see a dot. If dots appear and you don’t click, that indicates a gap in your visual field.
Well, that’s all well and good, except for when the dots are really tiny, or when you don’t click fast enough, or when you already see random dots pretty much everywhere, like I do.
When I took the test many years ago, I remember wondering, “Should I click even when I’m not sure there’s really a dot on the screen? Maybe it’s just my floaters? Or what about when I don’t quite see a full dot, but I don’t want to miss it, just in case? Do I keep clicking?”
Well, you might have noticed that today marks the six-month anniversary of Be the Dog. (Didn’t notice? I’ll be darned. You mean this little collection of canine chronicles isn’t as central to your daily life as it is to mine? I’m sure Zoey will be devastated).
I know I called this a “half-birthday celebration.” But honestly, (and sorry to all the moms of little kids out there. . . but I actually think “half birthday” is a silly concept) “celebration” doesn’t really cover it.
Instead, I thought I’d reflect on where things stand today in terms of this project’s stated goal: making me a better human as I continue to emulate my dog(s). The outcome made me think about that recent Visual Field test (keep reading and I promise to tell you why).
So, Are Dogs Really Great Role Models for Humans?
C’mon, do you really need to ask?
Of course dogs are great role models! How many of us don’t wish we could be more accepting, more tolerant, more forgiving, more playful, more willing to overlook the ravages of aging?
As I continue to mine the canine’s basic personality for more traits befitting of good humans, I find there’s no shortage.
Except for the mistreated ones or the ones born with some kind of personality mutation (sort of like the kid in The Bad Seed), dogs are generally kind. They’re loving. They’re good-natured. They’re tolerant. They are thrilled to have you in their lives. Basically, they make every aspect of your life better.
Okay, maybe my dog can’t teach me to cook coq au vin (though she’d eat it without any problem). Or how to ask that newly-divorced hottie neighbor on a date (Zoey’s much too forward for that). Or how to negotiate an extension on my Modern American Drama essay (she’d likely just eat it instead. But I bet you saw that one coming).
In general, though, and when it comes to having a positive outlook on life, dogs rule. And that’s precisely why I chose them to be my role models. Or rule models.
What (If Anything) Has Changed?
So, how is the experiment going so far? Have I begun to embody my dogs’ traits (we’ll ignore my lengthening earlobes and occasionally wet nose for now)? Am I more positive, more emotionally balanced, more physically active? Do I feel any different at all?
In contemplating the last six months, I realized that, despite the continued underlying intent (that of sharing how dogs are actually better people than people), my stories have morphed into more “human behavior” stories that are followed by dog stories. So while the focus may have shifted, the intent remains the same: to demonstrate how dogs really do have it figured out when it comes to being a good human, and how we can use those qualities in our own lives.
Perhaps the more important question, then, is: what changes have I noticed? Does trying to be more like your dog. . . work?
The short answer is, “yes.” The longer answer is a little more nuanced.
While I’ve often failed miserably on the week-by-week challenges, looking back, I do see indications of growth overall. Some of these changes are like bold flashes of light that instantly transform everything, such as building new morning habits into my routine. Others are more like small dots of light that may or may not flicker into my general awareness (See? Told you the visual field test would become relevant eventually), such as moments of forgiveness or seizing opportunities to play.
Based on the weekly follow-ups to each of the challenges, it looks like I’m not bad at finding some joy or happiness in daily moments, starting the day with movement, embracing a growth mindset, respecting my elders, accepting failure, eating my veggies and hanging on to hope.
On the other hand, I pretty much suck at forgiveness, spending time in nature, letting things go, accepting the inevitable, sleeping until rested or staying focused.
Is there some significant pattern hidden in this list? Some major transformation that isn’t at first clear?
Naw. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing (like I said, pretty good with remaining hopeful).
So I asked myself, “If the point was to improve as a human by emulating my dogs, but I haven’t succeeded in emulating my dogs. . . well, then, what is the point?”
And that’s where those little flashes of light came into play. I mean, I see improvement. . . just not huge leaps, as I’d hoped, and maybe not consistently, but improvement nonetheless.
So maybe the real question is, “If improvement manifests itself in tiny, sometimes unreliable, not always obvious glimmers. . . . Do I still keep clicking?”
When it comes to whether I’ve become more dog-like over the past six months, only the hubs and Zoey really know. In any case, it’s a journey, and I’m here for it.
How about you? What’s changed in your (inner) world over the past six months?
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Follow up to last week’s challenge: Ignore Aging As Much as You Possibly Can
This was a fun one, wasn’t it? Well, I suppose that’s the whole intention of ignoring aging: let’s have some fun with it!
Donning bright red lipstick, my crazy-patterned pants or doggie earrings was loads of fun. And who cares if I’m not supposed to “at my age”?
I’ll never forget the controversy that ensued many years ago when Yoko Ono decided to wear short-shorts (I think we called them “hot pants” at the time) and stockings for a photo shoot at her 70th birthday. What an uproar! (But let me tell you, that woman has the gams. At her age!).
After *much* searching online, I believe this is the offending photo. Yoko’s own response is worth reading, too.
So, what did you do that was unbecoming for someone of your advanced years this past week? Or any week, really?
As always, thank you for reading. If you enjoy Be the Dog, please consider recommending it to someone else–or becoming a paid subscriber to support me and my writing. I’d be eternally grateful eitherway!
Happy half-birthday!! As silly as that is as a concept 😉, we could all use more reasons to reflect on how far (or not) we've come. Love the dog earrings and I agree about the Visual Field test. It's awful! I had to retake mine because I had no idea what I was doing, so my results were akin to someone who had suffered a stroke (which, thankfully, I had not).
In answer to your "age" question, I often find myself drawn to very colorful or sparkly things -- things that a 7-year old girl might find really fun. And sometimes it's just really nice to give into that! For me, that looks like: installing a crystal rainbow maker on my office window, finding any excuse to buy a bouquet of balloons, and decorating my daily planner with stickers of brightly colored fish, hearts, etc. Small things that bring me a lot of joy -- so why not?