It's A Zen Thing...

He is beautiful. I fell in love with him instantly. Handsome, powerful, strong.

The first time I saw him, his eyes penetrated mine and I melted. My heart leapt. He is an emblem of unleashed enthusiasm and unconditional love.

This is not a typical romance.

It is a canine affair. (It's okay, my husband is in on the whole sordid thing, you can stop worrying.)

His name is Zen.

We moved into a lovely forest and oceanside community. Many of the owners here are retired. His owner, we saw the first few weeks were here - barely able to walk behind him. He totters a bit and seemed ill. It was always a wonder he could even follow behind this adventurous several year old Malamute.

We were new on the street and without our own animal due to our lease, so seeing him walk every day brought lightness of heart to our animal addiction. The amazing thing about this black and white wonder - is he seemed to have such a clear sense that his Person was frail?!

His 70 pounds of enthusiasm treaded lightly when he was walked by Tom. He stepped gently and slowly with him as if being on alert to take care of him on the end of his leash. With all his muscle and strength he could have, like many big dogs, leapt and run and pulled at the leash - but with his fragile Tom father - in his 80s, Zen was gentle. It was a wonder to behold their daily walks. It's as if he were caretaking HIM instead of the other way around.

As professional animal housesitters we had begun to do some dog care in the neighborhood. We let Tom and wife know that they could use us anytime. I would always see different people walking Zen around the cove. It seems he was rather a mascot. Everyone seemed to love him.

It takes a village to raise a Zen, as it turns out.

On a dark, rainy night in the Fall the glaring red rotating lights of an ambulance broke through the night through our windows and up to the house where Zen lives. His 'Mom' also in her 80s had fallen and broken her hip, rushed to the hospital. Oh dear.

Then, only a few days later, literally, the ambulance came again in broad daylight. "Oh, great" we thought, she is back!

Our doorbell rang. A kind lady asked if we knew Tom, that he had to be rushed to the hospital as well. Oh dear, even more so!? She asked could we care for Zen for a little while as he was not used to being alone and no one knew when either owner would be back. Absolutely, we were willing to!

Eventually after a few days passed, Tom was returned thank goodness.

That day my very generous and angel of a husband looked at me with his big heart open.. He realized, they never had used us, because on fixed incomes - they were too shy to ask how much we charged to walk a dog.

"Let's do it for free. Let's do it just for the love. To support Tom and Viv."

That was it - he, one of the great dog lovers of all time and a 30 year veteran of dog ownership - decided we would just walk Zen out of the kindness of our hearts. Just to help them out. Why not? It's Covid Quarantine - what schedule are WE on??? Right?

The next day, we started. And, the big galoot is umm, let me add - not as gentle walking with us - ha ha - he wants to run and play.

The older couple was extremely grateful we would help. They only have someone to walk him a few days a week in the complex here. We were the perfect answer to a prayer they had been asking for. Because, all it would take is one slip of the feet for Tom on rainy walkways around here to fall and be really incapacitated.

We did this for them. We did it for this big loveable fur ball. We have found great joy in taking him on walks, playing ball occasionally and sitting on our porch just letting him hang outside for a change from his indoor constant life.

It was a simple thing we could do to make the world a better place. In this time of Covid and a new reality of the world we are all precariously living it ... we look to see, how can we be of service. I mean, it is a simple thing we can do to help. Sometimes it takes effort in the pouring rain, but hey - we are being as the powerful Reverend Michael Bernard Beckwith says - 'a beneficial presence on the planet'.

Wanna know perhaps the best part of the story? You do, right?

This simple act ... has bestowed US with endless blessings. We didn't intend for it to happen. But, it did.

A) Gets my husband out of the house! Ha ha, don't tell him I said that. B) Is a chance to breathe fresh air and connect in nature on days we might not otherwise. (never a bad thing) and C) Fills our hearts with joy. A DOG! We have not been able to have a dog in our lives for the last 10 years due to lease restrictions. We didn't know how very much that unconditional love pouring towards us everyday would make a difference in our OWN lives. We look forward to him. We have his own special treats we give him. We hang and have coffee on the porch with him. He has been our doggie angel-in-disguise.

Zen, is a gift, a big, romping, head-cocking-for-a-treat GIFT (he is a treat whore, make no mistake about it) ... that we didn't know we even needed.

His joy has helped heal us from missing animal love, and Covid and grief and stress. And, we - in turn - gave the gift of ease to people who would not afford to hire us. It is a simple gift.

It opened us up to now looking EVERY day - what is something I can do today that would help someone?

This, was somewhat a revelation when I had been so immersed in the difficulty of Quarantine Life and financial challenges of keeping a business going. Turns out Zen - was a gift in more ways than one.

I began finding little presents that I had around the house to send people I know and love. I would wrap them and mail them, as a complete surprise once a month to someone. I can do that, I thought. Particularly if it lightened someone's burdened during this crazy world. I have had 12 months of people calling or writing SO surprised they got something in the mail, it has brought them true joy and brightened sometimes a very dark day.

I began to look at things in the garage we aren't really using or something someone else could use. I make a monthly little bag of the extra straws, utensils from takeout, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, extra masks, some small cash, vitamins, lip balm - just things that a homeless person could maybe use and find someone on the street to give it to. I even wrapped some Christmas small presents to the people in the local grocery store parking lot, so they would have something on Christmas Day. I've been doing that one for a decade. I will never forget the homeless man in a park in LA when I delivered one Dec 25th at dawn. He followed me a few steps with an enormous smile when I put it down and said, "Thought you should have some Christmas!". His gratitude was overwhelming. It wasn't fancy things. It was practical things, socks, Gatorade, little hotel samples of soap and shampoo, a new toothbrush, just ziplock bags even - things that are not much to us - but was so vital to this man - he wept.

Since Covid I also make it a point every few weeks to just phone someone from my past that might have sifted through my thoughts or I just plain hadn't talked to. Let's be clear - I am NOT a 'phone person'. I work on the phone as a Master Coach, so the phone for leisure - I am not all about. However, I thought during THIS time in history, connection is important. So it is a little thing I can do, truly small. The people I ended up calling - it wasn't a small thing. It somehow was the right day, right time they needed something and my laughter I was able to bring to them - was the difference that made the difference.

I have a friend in LA who moved and I found out he was sleeping on a very uncomfortable couch. What? Absolutely NOT! He lives alone, is immune compromised and hadn't been sleeping well for some time. What the heck? We had an excellent blow up mattress, top-of-the line we weren't using. I took the time and money to mail it to him as a surprise (with a bunch of little fun surprises wrapped in it just for good measure ;-). He called, crying "Did YOU send me this?!!!" "Guilty," I laughingly said. Quarantine has been really hard for him. "I mean, whaaat? This is the KINDEST thing anyone has ever done for me!" he blubbered. (Name withheld to protect the innocenct.) Heh. He was blown away. Since that day, he can finally sleep again.

See, that wasn't hard. It took a moment of my time. So do-able.

Those things, all - for the most part - required almost no effort on my part. I was astonished by the difference it made to others.

What difference can you make?

How can you be a beneficial presence on the planet?

Start looking. Because, there is a difference you can make out there you have not been doing, I guarantee you. I began to see SO many small ways I can make a difference with just a small act of kindness. You can do it too. Just perhaps, because you never thought about it. Think about it. What can you do?

Put a couple of quarters in someone's meter that has run out. Take the clothes you were going to just toss out and make the little bit of effort to take them to your local Goodwill. Got towels or blankets that are worn out - every animal shelter can use 'em. Is there an elderly person you know who is alone - make them some breakfast muffins. (believe me, I do not do it from scratch, heh heh...) Can I make a flower bouquet for a neighbor?

Write someone a card and tell them how they have been an important part of your life. Be there for someone who is grieving a loss - ask what do they need?

Small acts of selfless kindness.

The world couldn't need that more right now ... Right?

I mean, what if someone did a simple favor for you that helped you get through today or tomorrow? Wouldn't that be just great? (We occasionally receive unexpected warm chocolate chip cookies from our Landlord - and you know, usually on a day where we needed a real treat! Now - THERE'S a Landlord!)

We ALL gotta find a way to get through to tomorrow right now.

It can be something so simple you might not even think that it would matter...

but, I am here to tell - what Zen the wonder dog has taught me -

it does.