About 10 years ago, I met Bitsey. 

Bitsey, as you might deduce from her name,  is a smaller dog. I think she’s some kind of Chihuahua Dachshund mix.  We were having a holiday gathering at our home and a relative brought her.  Little Bitsey ‘tippy tapped’ her way around our home and into our hearts that evening. 

We agreed to care for her and the relative agreed to leave her with us. She’s actually the inspiration for that neat dachshund statue in my office.

Our relationship hasn’t always been rosy.  The ratio of her peeing on my couch versus me peeing on her couch is sharply skewed towards her (it has to be 4:1 by now, at least). 

Sometimes she barks at night and sometimes she throws up interesting things. As much as I’m sure you, dear reader, would love for me to regale all of these situations, this is not why I write to you today. 

Rather, I think my friend Bitsey has given me far more lessons on the benefits of living in the moment than I have given to her.

Some of these might have implications for all of us, and so I share them today.

Play

Every time I come home; Bitsey immediately brings her raggedy stuffed lamb toy in her mouth while wagging her tail.  It’s as if she is saying, “Come and play! Live the moment! Why wouldn’t you want to do that?”

I really think there is something to this. I feel better when I take the basketball out and shoot some hoops.  No, I can’t sink as many ‘3’s’ as I could when I was 12. Who cares?

I’m playing because I’m having fun. I feel better in the depths of a good card game with others.

Maybe we can learn that play needs to come first IN THIS MOMENT a little more often?

The Past Isn’t Happening Right Now

Bitsey, for many years, would get nervous when we were sweeping with a broom.  She would kind of keep her distance and if she thought it was raised towards her; she’d literally tuck tail and escape. 

I hate to think what happened to her in the past to condition this fear.

My human brain loves to look at the past because it knows how it turns out (“See?  I’m your brain and I know how that past even comes out every single time! Aren’t I awesome?”)

At the end of the day, the past is the past. It isn’t happening right now. 

This moment, the one we are in right now? It’s different from all other moments that have EVER been.  

We Can’t Predict The Future

As long as we are on the topic of fear; Bitsey overcomes this conditioning to say:

In other words, ‘broom’ isn’t ALWAYS followed by bad times. 

Her ability to be open to a different future than her fear might predict allows us to have a better relationship.

Our human brains also love to try and predict the future. 

Ever look up your sore knee on the Internet and you now have months to live? Exactly.

As much as it tries to convince us, the brain cannot forecast the future completely.

Fortunately, Bitsey realizes this and she leaves the negative past moments exactly where they belong; in the past.  This allows her to continue to make an effort IN THIS MOMENT to have a good relationship with us. She doesn’t let the past exclusively decide her moment. 

Think about it:

if she let that fear continue, then she’d always cower from us and we’d have a much less meaningful relationship.

The Power of Now

Bitsey and I haven’t always had the best relationship. 

Sometimes I commit the grave offense of not giving her the amount of wet food she wanted.  Even if this is the case, Bitsey moves on with her life.

She doesn’t let it stop her from playing or taking a nap or lying next to me or making smells that could effectively hide the scent of a large cattle operation.  She is far less apt to take her past and superimpose it onto the present or her future prediction.

What can we learn from this?  

Bitsey is trying to model just how important it is to live in this moment. 

In this moment, we can play. In this moment, we can choose to trust.

In this moment, we can take that walk, listen to that cool new music, or apply for that job. 

In this moment, we can use those watercolors to paint that abstract, read that book, or write that blog post.

In this moment we can do things differently which changes our present and thus our future.

This moment, the one you are currently using to read this?  It has now passed.

I encourage you to use what you’ve learned here to know this moment, do what you need to do, and begin to weave that life you really want.

Thank you, Bitsey, for being such a great friend and family member.  Thank you for being an inspiration to each of us and not leaving any special ‘gifts’ when we went to the store yesterday.

In Connection and Hope,

Chris