Canem Carpe Diem

Every one from animal behaviorists to inspirational writers have commented on how dogs seem to "seize the day."  While it has been difficult for me to understand how an animal who sleeps probably around 18 hours a day can be thought of as "living for the moment," I have started watching Murphy more closely and now endorse the idea that we can learn a lot from our dogs about simplicity, satisfaction, and contentment.

While it has been cold here, it has also been sunny.  My back yard is fenced in, and there are lots of nooks and obstacles for the dogs to explore.  I have a tiny pond which attracts cats and raccoons, requiring the dogs to perform morning rounds to make sure the invaders are gone.  Sage has taken on the responsibility of defending the yard.  If anyone walks down the alley, Sage lets them know it is her turf.  But it is Murphy's yard.  And in these sunny days she has frequently barked at the back door to go out.  

From my study I can hear her out there, rustling around the grass, sniffing the wall of the house, walking across the deck to decide whether to crawl under it to find the Mother Lode of All Tennis Balls, or yipping with glee as she rolls on her back.  Another favorite spot is in the sun underneath the rosemary.  When she comes inside she smells like a sachet!  I watch her out there, finding a patch of sun, even though it is cold, and laying down, squinting her eyes, letting the solar heat absorb in her body.  So simple and elegant, enjoying herself in the patch of winter sun.

There is a sense in our world, right now, of what I think of as cultural nihilism.  Many may think of it as "seizing the day," but I think of it as living for the moment in a rather destructive way.  The cultural nihilism is exhibited in the extreme consumption that we engage in: buy now, play now, do now.  It's got to be bigger, better, more expensive than before.  Heli-skiing in exotic locations for hundreds of thousands of dollars, cars that cost the GNP of small countries in Central America, and yes, more and more fly rods!  We want it now, because heck why not?   It seems at times that meaning for people becomes how much you spend and on what.  Life itself, those small moments of, what, simply being, are meaningless.  Who knows, there may not be a tomorrow, or may not have enough money tomorrow, or...Seize the day, right?  But is there ever contentment?

Murphy's seize the day seems more spiritual.  I know it's cliched to say that, but it seems true.  Murphy can simply find a patch of sun, lay in it for hours, and seem content.  She can walk the boundaries of her yard, nose in the air, find old tennis balls, check out the cat scents, and crawl underneath the rosemary.  Day seized.  Contentment found.  She has lived not only for the moment, but in the moment.

Murphy's day.