Sawyer was my best friend ever and the best dog I could have asked for. I learned a lot from him over the 11 years we spent together. It would take at least one book to include them all (a project I’ve started working on since his death) but for now, here are some of the lessons I learned from Sawyer.
- Show your loved ones that you love them.
- Forgive when someone stumbles and makes it right with you again.
- Announce boundaries calmly before escalating as needed.
- Enjoy the moment.
- Love people for who they are, not what they can do or have done.
- Be yourself and enjoy every minute of it.
- Love people whether they’re feeling happy, sad, angry, scared, etc; love them even more when they need it the most.
- Sit quietly and presently with people.
- Be ok with people who aren’t feeling ok.
- Don’t watch the clock when you’re with your loved ones.
- Don’t take a single moment with your loved ones for granted.
- Focus on the important things and forget the rest.
- When you truly know what you want, go for it without hesitation.
- Always give your loved ones a warm welcome and heartfelt goodbye; one day you’ll do it for the last time and probably won’t know it until afterward.
- Make a fuss if you must and then move on in peace.
- Have the hard conversations so problems can be resolved and relationships strengthened.
- Make sure your loved ones know how much you love them.