Lessons From Lola

Hello everyone!

This is a fun little blog I wrote last March. I'm working on transferring some of my faves over to the website and thought this had to be one of them :) I have included a recent photo of Lola at the end! Enjoy!

Originally Published: March 19, 2018

I thought this would be a cute one for ya! We can learn so much from pets and in my case dogs. I am 100 percent certain that Lola is part of my healing journey. She doesn’t always make things easy…but that’s part of the beauty of it all

Life lessons and advice from Lola (my dog)

1. Eyes are your best feature

Eyes are the window to your soul and besides your personality and smile – they are your best feature! So use them to your advantage

2. Cry as loud as you want too

Crying is cathartic. And it’s better out than in.

“It’s better to cry than to be angry; because anger hurts others. While tears flow silently through the soul and cleanses the heart.” – Pope John Paul II

When Lola cries…it’s usually her way of getting our attention and she’s not afraid to cry loud! Sometimes the littlest thing will make me cry (a t.v commercial for example) but then I’ll just be sobbing loud for the next 10 minutes. NO…I’m not crazy….but I feel so much better afterwards lol. Try it

3. Eat when you are hungry – Intuitive Eating!

Lola is a growing pup. Right now she eats 3 meals a day just like you and me. She has an amazing nose and can sniff out where her food is from a mile away. Something I have struggled with is eating when I am hungry and when it’s necessary…not just when I’m bored or craving! If you can stick to it and learn this mind trick you are already ahead of the game!

4. Take lots of naps – rest when necessary

Lola is a high energy dog (most Labs are) …but she will be playing hard for an hour and then drop everything and like a light switch she will drop and nap whenever and wherever! I think we can learn a lot from dogs. NAPS ARE GOOD. NAPS ARE OUR FRIEND. Most of us have malnourished and stressed out bodies from diet, stress, work, worry, anxiety etc. A daily nap even the smallest nap…can and will go a long way. 

5. Cuddles are the best – hug more 

Need I say more?  I think it has been scientifically proven that a hug can drop your stress levels and just make you feel better and more secure! 

6. Find hobbies or things you like to do regularly

Lola has a wide variety of athletic pursuits

She loves playing and fetching ball, chewing rope, going for walks and playing with her humans! It keeps her happy! We are no different. Find something you love and do it often or try new things whether you like to do group activities or individual pursuits – hobbies keep us happy and our mind active and takes us away from the little every day worries or annoyances. 

7. Surround yourself with people you love and will take care of you for life

Enough said! Surround yourself with loving family and friends. Don’t be afraid to cut the toxic ones out. 

8. Be Present and get over it

Dogs don’t dwell on things. They get over shit pretty fast – haha, literally! We can’t hold on to the past and we can’t worry about the future. All that we have is right now. 

9. Always greet good morning and good night!

Never a day goes by where Lola doesn’t wiggle her butt in happiness to say GOOD MORNING and trots in her crate at night and looks up at us to say night night. Never go to bed or wake up angry. Communication is key. 

10. Explore and Adventure (walk 30 minutes a day)

Walking is a great for so many things. It stretches your legs, builds muscle and stamina, gives you some vitamin D, fresh air and time away from social meda and stress. Walking takes you on a daily adventure! You are sure to see or smell something new every day