As long as there are moose antlers (the tender tops), large Huggle Hound balls, and a couple of fleece Lambchop toys in my dog’s toybox, they’re happy campers.
Of course, their toybox is full of other toys that are met with a “meh” attitude but I can’t bring myself to toss them because I think: maybe someday they’ll play with them.
But one of the things I’ve learned from watching my dogs play is that they only engage with what they find fun or interesting.
In this season of my life, I am learning more and more to join them in that mindset. As I watch Ripple wade through the “meh” toys to find a treasure, I think, he’ll know it when he finds it.
But on this particular day, whatever he was looking for wasn’t in the box.
Sometimes what we are searching for requires us to look “outside the box.”
Life changes as we get older. We go from parenting small children to being empty nesters. We have career changes and relationship changes.
So, why wouldn’t our interests shift?
After my son Kevin died, I tried going back to competition dog sports. It had been a passion of mine for over 20 years, but the competing part just wasn’t working for me anymore. I knew my dogs were still going to be a huge part of my life but I felt I needed to pivot. I started thinking maybe volunteering with them might be a better fit.
And it was.
Being a therapy dog team with my dog Manny made me feel good.
By focusing on my core interests, I could tweak, or add little things to redefine what interests me and brings me joy
- saying yes to a Beagle puppy
- taking a class
- writing and speaking about what I’ve learned
Making small out of the box shifts led to a couple of BIG ones that also made me feel good
- starting Life with Rune in 2020
- writing and publishing my memoir in 2022.
New seasons in life bring an opportunity to try on your old life and see what still fits. Is what you’ve been doing for X number of years still fun?
If the answer is YES, then yippee!
If you’re thinking ‘not so much’ or ‘no, it’s not fun anymore’ then it might be time to look outside the box for ways to pivot, or to try something new. Find what brings you joy in this season of your life and see what gifts come.
Susan Lynch is a former competitive dog trainer who has been training, competing and volunteering with her Golden Retrievers since 1995. In 2020, she founded Life with Rune, a Facebook community that documents the socializing and training of her own puppy Rune. In 2021, she was awarded the Rachel Page Elliot Lifetime Achievement award by the Golden Retriever Club of America. Her memoir Life After Kevin: A Mother’s Search for Peace and the Golden Retrievers that Led the Way is available here . To learn more, visit: www.susan-lynch.com.
For socializing ideas and training tips go to the Life with Rune Facebook group and click on the Guides tab at the top of the home page.