Twice a week, I'm treated to the sight of Zoey in ecstasy, beyond anything I’ve witnessed any other time or place in her life (or anyone else’s life, either, come to think of it).
These are the days we take her to doggie daycare, where she unites with her furry friends and can romp, play, race, bark, yip, jump, paw, roll on her back or body check other dogs to her heart’s content.
It’s also, on rare occasions, when she encounters Derrick, the daycare owner and trainer-in-chief, whom she adores more than anything else on this earth. Yes, more than the hubs or me. More than liver treats. More than chasing her Flying Squirrel. More than raw beef. And yes, it took us a while to accept this natural hierarchy of her affection.
An early training session with Derrick. Keep an eye on that tail!
Post-daycare, Zoey returns home completely spent. The first time this occurred, we were a bit alarmed and worried about her health: she arrived home around 5:30 PM, then fell into a deep sleep that–but for wolfing down her dinner–lasted until the following morning.
Then we acknowledged the tell-tale signs: tousled back hairs, whitish tuft of dried saliva on her ear, that look of calm, blissed-out contentment in which her doggie smile reveals her tiny, crooked bottom teeth . . . and we realized we were simply witnessing the after-effects of playing at maximum capacity, non-stop, for a full eight hours.
Zoey is pooped after a long day at doggie daycare.
I’ve gotten in the habit of asking how Zoey’s day was when I pick her up to take her home. Invariably, Kim (the attendant) responds, “Oh, she had a great day! She played with [insert doggie name #1] and [insert doggie name #2] for a while, then ran around with [insert doggie name #3] and [insert doggie name #4] for a bit longer.”
I once asked, “Is Zoey the most energetic dog you have here?” Kim’s brows shot up and she gazed toward the horizon.
“Oh, I’d say, definitely. None of the other dogs can keep up with her. When she wears one dog out, she just moves to the next one.”
I had a vision of Zoey directing the other dogs as they played: “Misty, you’re not hitting that ball hard enough. Take a break–Shadow, get in here! We need an extra body over there! And Luna, you take up the rear, okay? Let’s GO!”
No wonder she was exhausted when she returned home. Non-stop running, endlessly barking orders at the other dogs and all the mental energy that coordination took out of her–it’s enough to make you dog-tired at the end of the day (sorry, I had to).
And I must admit, it’s bliss for the humans (as it had been for Chaser as well) on those days Zoey is at daycare (or “D.C.” as we call it, so as not to stir up too much excitement if she hears us speak about it before the fact). The hubs and I enjoy eight hours of uninterrupted workday. Chaser enjoyed eight hours of uninterrupted peace and quiet. And Zoey has the time of her life.
The only problem–if you can call it that–occurs later the same evening, after she gets back home. Turns out that Zoey is so focused on her play and expending all that pent-up energy accumulated between visits that she truly does wear herself out. Like a cell phone falling out of range, she sputters a few times, gurgles and groans, then plops on the floor, completely out of juice. Trying to wake her from that stupor is like trying to lift a suitcase with your pinky.
It’s actually quite admirable. Despite a full-on energy explosion during the day, Zoey knows when her body needs rest. And if she’s not fully rested, it can be more than a little difficult to wake her up.
On evenings after daycare, I’m treated to a habitual scene as the hubs attempts to get Zoey downstairs to “do her business” one last time before bed.
Although Chaser was 12 years older, sore and arthritic, all it took to get her moving (as much as she could still move) was for the HH to clap near her head to catch her attention; she’d immediately comply. (She was, after all, half German Shepherd, known for their obedience. Also, she’d been sleeping for about 23 hours by then, so it was time to stretch her legs).
Zoey, however, is another story altogether. No matter the prodding, the cajoling, the empty threats (“You’d better come now because I swear I’m not getting up in the middle of the night if you have to go later”), nothing seems to move her.
He begins by digging his toe into her back. Nothing.
“C’mon, Zoey, you can have a treat if you come. . . .” No movement.
“ZOEY. Time to go outside and do your business right now.” She forces her lids up to gaze back at him, then sighs and closes her eyes again.
He squats beside her. Several pokes to the ribs ensue. “Okay, Toaster, I mean it. Get up NOW.”
She snorts, rolls over on her back, front paws folded at the elbow and belly exposed as if to say, “But Dad, I’m just a sleepy, innocent little pup. Please don’t make me!”
At this point, the HH loses patience, grabs her collar and hoists her upright. She steadies herself on woozy legs, then shakes her whole body, ears and loose skin flapping with annoyance, and trots down the stairs behind him.
It may exasperate the humans, but it’s a great example of knowing when you need rest and accepting the call. People, on the other hand, seem to deny ourselves sufficient sleep even when we know it’s not best for our bodies or minds.
Yes, we all have responsibilities and schedules to follow. But, according to experts like sleep-guru Ariana Huffington (who swears that her global business, The Huffington Post, didn’t become the behemoth it is until she stopped burning herself out with too little sleep and took on seven hours a night), sufficient sleep is actually the secret weapon for increased productivity and health.
Not only does sleep refresh the body, it sharpens the mind, strengthens the immune system, keeps your heart and blood sugar in good shape, and even allows you to maintain a healthier weight.
So why do we find it so hard to incorporate excellent sleep into our lives? Do we really need that additional hour of Netflix before bed, or the final social media scroll in the bathroom after brushing our teeth?
I know that for my part, there’s always at least a little lost time in the evenings when I could be doing something more productive or self-supportive. Instead of watching TV, I could read one of those books piled on my nightstand. Or I could take five minutes to breathe deeply in a meditative way. Or even play with the dog (if she’s not already asleep herself).
And most certainly, I could use the time to prep for sleep, then get into bed earlier so that I don’t have to drag myself out of it in the morning, heavy-limbed and groaning, eyes still sticky with unfinished dreams.
Ideally, of course, none of us would require an alarm clock and we’d simply sleep until we felt no more need to remain in bed. One of my mentors swears this is how he functions, and he’s built a two-billion dollar business with this schedule. (He does, admittedly, get into bed by 9:00 PM each evening).
Nevertheless, if we regular mortals simply made bedtime even 20 minutes earlier than usual, I have no doubt it would increase morning energy–and the ability to function effectively the rest of the day as well–considerably.
So this week, friends, the challenge is to get your body into bed 20 or more minutes before your regular quitting time.
If this means forfeiting TV, so be it. In my own case, it will likely mean culling social media time, since evening is when I fully indulge after a day’s work. But think about how much more productive–and awake!--you’ll be with this extra dozing. I look forward to returning here more refreshed, more energetic, and with those darn circles gone from under my eyes.
Let’s get some sleep!
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Follow up to last week’s challenge: Love your food (eat with enthusiasm). How did it go?
I realized that part of “loving your food” is to truly savor it–enjoying every melty moment of that chocolate truffle, every fiber of that hunk of steak, every slurp of that morning green smoothie.
In order to fully appreciate the food that entered my mouth, I decided to employ two separate strategies from very different experts. First up was Geneen Roth (author of several books on intuitive eating, most famously When Food is Love) and her dictum to “eat only when truly hungry, and eat only what you really want.”
I paired Roth with Jon Kabat-Zinn (psychologist who helped to popularize meditation with his seminal book, Full Catastrophe Living) and his concept of mindfulness, so that I could tap into full awareness of the experience.
Years ago, I took a meditation course in which we practiced Kabat-Zinn’s type of mindfulness. The very first exercise in class was to eat a raisin with extreme attention to every detail–the smell, the texture, the appearance, the size, the feel of the raisin in our mouth, the experience of the first bite, the flavor, the juiciness, the effect of mixing with saliva, the way the texture changed as we continued to chew, the intensity of the sweetness, how it converted to liquid after about 50 bites, the residual taste after swallowing.
I’ve gotta tell you, it was the least enjoyable raisin I ever ate. Ten minutes to eat one raisin? No thank you.
On the other hand, it did introduce the concept of savoring your food–truly savoring it, without feeling rushed, without scrolling on your phone at the same time, without telling your dog to “get out of the kitchen” as you took a bite. That was the part I chose to recreate over the week.
In addition, Roth advises to stop when you feel the urge to reach for a food, and ask yourself if that is what you are, indeed, really craving.
Yes, the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream in the freezer has developed its own Siren song, calling you irresistibly toward its charms. But is that what your body is really instructing you to eat?
Is that rumbling in the belly really yearning for a mix of “modified milk ingredients, sugar, glucose, coconut oil, wheat flour, cocoa, brown sugar, molasses, palm oil, glucose-fructose, eggs, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, hydrogenated soybean oil, mono- and diglycerides, propylene glycol monostearate, soy lecithin, cellulose gum, carob bean gum, carrageenan, corn starch, wheat starch, silicon dioxide, sodium bicarbonate, salt, maltodextrin and artificial flavors”?**
Somehow, I think not.
So, before indulging in any food for the week, I stopped and took a moment to query my body. This alone was a very strange and unfamiliar activity, since my body and I haven’t been on speaking terms in far too long (well, to be honest, my body has been speaking–I just haven’t been listening).
What an odd sensation to tap into what’s going on in the abdominal area–deliberately scanning the belly and asking myself, “what do you want to eat?” I must admit, being rather rusty in that practice, it took a while. And sometimes, the guess was incorrect. But eventually, I hit upon foods I truly wanted to consume.
How does one savor broccoli? Slowly. Deliberately. With gusto and satisfaction.
Do you know how delicious a fresh broccoli stalk is, tossed in just a bit of virgin olive oil and salt, then roasted to just-browned and slightly crispy perfection? No, seriously. I could eat those all day.
Now, get me to practice that kind of attentiveness with chocolate–not so easy. There is still much work to do. But last week was a good start.
** actual ingredient list from Nestle’s Toll House cookie dough ice cream.
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Now over to you.
Did you aim to eat with more awareness this past week? Let me know in the comments. Or feel free to answer any of the questions below. I love to hear from you!
What’s your average number of hours sleep per night? Are you happy with it, or is there room for improvement?
If you have a dog, whom do they love the most? (No shame if it’s not you–we will forever envy Derrick’s effect on Zoey).
Is there a food for which you’ve developed a new appreciation in recent years? What is it?
And on the subject of food, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
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 either way!
What’s your average number of hours sleep per night? Are you happy with it, or is there room for improvement?
Six sometimes less..not happy and there is room for improvement.