Be Present

At the end of last year, I had a beautiful reminder and I was guided by the best guru ever. For 3 days, I was dog sitting my friend’s dog, and, soon enough, I realized that I wasn’t taking her dog outside but he was taking me outside.

I didn’t grow up with any pets beside the goldfish I had for 5 years when I was younger. They were a try-out from my mom, as she (and me sometimes now too) is allergic to dogs and cats (almost any animal with hair), so she said, as I was asking for a pet, I could receive a rabbit instead of a dog or cat, as they were able to live outside. She first gave me the chance to show my ability for responsibilities by feeding and taking care of the goldfish. And, if that went well, I would be able to have a rabbit as a pet.

Trust and believe me, after 2 weeks, I was pretty much over it and started majorly slacking in my discipline. My mam is too good for the world, and, as you can imagine, 5 years later, my sweet mom was still cleaning the fish bowl (for me), weekly. The rabbit never came.

My entire life, I also didn’t really have a lifestyle that allowed me to take on the responsibility of having a pet, so instead, I always love(d) dog-sitting for my friends when in need. I have had a NYC baby, an LA baby, and now I have a Miami baby.

My friend left town, and for 3 days it was me and “Hiro.” Coming out of a season with a lot of turbulence and chaos, my body was craving some slow living.

Every day, we went outside, twice a day, for super long walks. And as much as I loved taking him to all these amazing dog friendly places around the city, I learned that while I was trying to telepathically tune in to his needs, I received so much more.

He taught me lessons about living in the moment – no matter if we were home or in the streets, by the water or in the park. Nothing mattered than simply that moment. If he caught me grabbing my phone, I felt his disappointment of my not paying attention to all that was in front of me (which was mostly him, haha). He reminded me about life itself every time.

The silent walks felt like pure therapy. I was tuning into all my senses, and, as much as I thought I was doing this for him, I realized the universe had brought me to him that weekend, as Hiro was actually doing this for me.

The kindness of the people around me who gave him/us attention, love, food, water, etc. reminded me of the kindness of the world when we are able to put our own needs and ego aside and imagine what another might enjoy or love in that moment. I wonder why we can do this with dogs so organically and not with humans as easily?

Oh, his unconditional love. All he wanted was cuddles and connection. I was reminded when there is love, nothing else truly matters. He loves me without judgment. Okay, sometimes with, as the faces he would communicate at times to me were priceless and said more than a book ever could. But, even if he was upset with me, for example, for not giving him another snack, he would let go about this within a minute. So inspiring.

He had loyalty, no matter which other dogs would distract him, which other humans would give him attention or no matter how far he would run. He would always look back for me or run back to me. And if he couldn’t see me, he would make sure to go take the steps to find out where I was. I felt loved and supported 24/7. His body language was always communicating: I’m looking out for you and I am protecting you, ’cause I cherish you.

He reminded me of the simplicity of life. Without him knowing, he was teaching me lessons beyond the world that was right in front of me. He taught me to focus on my mental, emotional and spiritual health. Just by being there at my side, I felt he was supporting and guiding me to tune inwards and readjust where I could do some reshaping.

I became aware of my energy more than ever, as truly, my emotional wellbeing was having an effect on his emotional wellbeing. If I was upbeat, his frequency was too. Whenever I felt down, he was too. He became my mirror of awareness: awareness about myself and my inner universe.

Simply caring for another being can be so satisfying. On days when you are a lil out of balance, it can feel so rewarding and purposeful to care with compassion for another.

By sharing life with Hiro, I was gently reminded to be in the moment, to be fully present, to live from the heart and with awareness. He didn’t just transform my days; he transformed my inner being as well.

We hear “Be present” all the time. And besides the fact that life always keeps changing, being present can help you to stay full of gratitude for that moment. Yet, this time, being present had a new meaning for me! It was combined with a feeling of trust, as I felt: So long as we are present in the moment, our inner guides and emotions will lead us to our next action. And whenever our next action creates a new present moment, that new present moment will, in its own timing, guide our emotions with awareness to the next present moment again too. And as long as we keep listening into our inner guides, we will be walking in alignment. I believe that’s the truest meaning of being in the moment. It’s there to remind you and steer you to always come back to your authentic self. Being present, each moment, can give you all the guidance you need or crave for the next moment.

May this first post of the New Year, this new chapter, this new cycle… remind us all to stay present as much as we can. I believe as long as you are able to listen to your intuition, your values and your nervous system… being present is the only other action you have to follow up on. Let these three tools and this one reminder help us on the days we feel overwhelmed, confused, lost or out of balance.

Are you struggling to tune in to the moment or yourself? Go find yourself a beautiful dog to walk with, and, before you know it, you will be living back in alignment: alignment with yourself, nature and your path.

Are you interested in more action-based inspiration and motivation for the start of this New Year?

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