An open letter to Hoshi Dear Hoshi, On the first day we met, I remember thinking you looked like me, but a little different. I recall thinking you were twice my size and boy oh boy was I afraid! But the best memory I have of that day is that you didn't bark at me. With you, I don't get to start a new chapter, I get to start a new book. I know I am loved because despite my weirdness, my yappiness, and my snoring, you accept me unconditionally. That is why I truly believe love and acceptance go together like peanut butter and jelly. Love and acceptance changes lives, including mine. I once read that "you don't need someone to complete you...you just need someone to accept you completely." You, my best friend, have done just that. Thank you for loving and accepting me wholeheartedly. Love, Zen An open letter to Zen,Dear Zen,
What would have I done without you? As I look back to the day you came home from the shelter, I can't help but feel happy. The minute I smelled you, I knew you were a keeper. Days, weeks, and months passed, and before we knew it, we celebrated 2 years together! I love spending every minute with you. Because of you, I don't have to feel alone. I hear your bark and I know to be cautious. I feel your tug and I know I am headed to the right place. You guide me every step of the way. And despite being blind, you accept me for who I am, no questions asked. Thank you for believing in my strengths and treating me with love and respect. You are my best friend and I can't imagine spending my twilight years with anyone else. Here's to us and our journey together! Love, Hoshi
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"The greatest adventure is what lies ahead." -J R R Tolkien Make the most of life by having many adventures. Our life motto is "Explore more; stress less." Take a step outside and experience the wonders of Mother Nature. Life has no certainty, so why not make everyday an adventure? Exploring more leads to stressing less, which helps to finding balance physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. Inhale gratitude. Exhale love. Experience clarity.
“Adventure isn’t hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life.” — John Amatt Adventure location: Big Rocks of Sharon, Spokane, Washington "Love changes everything...so fill the world with it!" -Kid President There's been a lot of negativity leading up to Election Day and so we would like to take this opportunity to spread some PAWSitivity. As we await for the results, let us all be reminded of the power of kindness, humility, and compassion. With every change comes a new beginning and a fresh new chance. Here are some of our favorite quotes from a hopeful future candidate, Kid President. Kid President is a wonderful reminder that together, we can make a difference by choosing peace over chaos, unity over segregation, love over hate, gratitude over bad attitude. We couldn't agree with Kid President more when when he said, "Don't be mean. Be meaningful." "This is my time. This is your time. This is our time. We can make everyday better for each other." -Kid President "You don't need a cape to be a hero. You just need to care." "You are made from love, to be love, to spread love. Love is always louder. No matter what. Even if hate has a blow horn, love is louder. So let your life be loud!" "Treat everybody like it's their birthday." -Kid President "Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody." Adventure location: Hug Point, Oregon Mindfulness begins with a healthy mind. A healthy mind leads to healthy thoughts, healthy feelings, healthy behaviors, and healthy relationships, driven by love. How does one work towards having a healthy mind? Through daily practice, one can observe and realize that it’s not necessarily what happens to us, but rather what we say to ourselves about what happens. Stop and ask the question: What am I saying to myself? Answering the question can help identify how situations can activate thoughts, actions, and behaviors. Practice visualizing the situation, experiencing the feeling, and capturing the thought associated with the feeling. Identifying automatic thoughts can increase awareness and can help to unravel deeper core beliefs.
By disassociating with the emotion and simply acknowledging the emotion’s presence, finding an alternative and a more PAWsitive action and thought can be substituted and amended. For instance, statements of “I am bored” can be restated to “Boredom is present.” As a result of separating “I” from the emotion, one does not identify as being a bore or be entangled in the thought that one is a boring person. Instead, one accepts the presence of boredom. This new pattern of thinking opens up doors for ways to rid of boredom by participating in activities that could bring excitement into the space. This new wave of thinking opens doors to love more and stress less, thus enhancing the overall quality of life. As pups, we don't overthink. We simply do. Our actions are driven by thoughts of love. We wag our tails because we love. We give wet kisses because we love. We follow because we love. And so we leave you with an inspiring quote as a reminder to practice mindfulness daily. “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” -Buddha "Every MOMENT is a fresh BEGINNING." T.S.Elliot With the changes of the seasons, one thing remains the same: LOVE. LOVE is experienced year-round. As we live through life, remember to not be weathered down by judgment, negativity, and doubt. Live life with pure, unconditional LOVE...both for others and for one-self. Life is about perspective. Status doesn't define me...I define me. I leave the past in the past and the future in the savings. What matters is now, a beautiful present received every waking day. I am blessed and grateful to have a roof over my head, a place to sleep. and food to eat. I have two loving parents, a supportive extended family and, most importantly, I have Hoshi. What more do I need? Everyday is a blessing and I am celebrating every minute of it! My family and I live a very simple life, rich in experiences and adventures. The best days are yet to come! Life for me is an ongoing experience, spending less time in the past or future. I show up to the moment with full awareness and I make the best of the situation. No eyes, no problem. I use my ears to hear, my tongue to taste, my paws to feel, and my nose to smell. Rather than focusing on what I don't have, I appreciate what I do. I'm thriving and living life to the fullest with the cutest sidekick by my side. Everyday I strive to be the best version of myself! Be confident, be compassionate, be captivating! Most importantly, be your own kind of beautiful! "Where there is love there is life." -Ghandi |
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