“This too shall pass,” I telepathically transmitted the ancient proverb to Oscar; he nodded in agreement. The temporality of all material conditions, positive or negative, had become all too apparent. As I unlatched the pearly gate, and entered the heavenly Zen garden, I knew this paradise couldn’t last forever. Although I don’t consider myself a pessimist, I have found that when things seem too good to be true, they usually are. I learned this after watching my freshly made triple layer trifle slip from my hands onto my recently cleaned hardwood floor. I feared the Tower hill dog park would suffer the same fate as my layered dessert, slipping through my fingers before I could taste it. Too good to be true.
Three months after Oscar and I discovered doggy nirvana, I knew I had to lead another four-legged Buddha through the golden gates. Although my new German shepherd doesn’t share the same striking resemblance to the spiritual teacher, his name, “Zen”, is a direct reference to the tranquility inspired by a park full of content canines. The dog park is our Zen garden. Untrimmed paws leave parallel lines in the dirt and patches of short grass form rings around guardian trees.
Two years from now, our sanctuary will be gone. In the instant after my once-perfect trifle hit the floor, it was devoured by two self-satisfied dogs; Oscar and Zen thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe it wasn’t a waste after all. We can recover from squashed sweets and deconstructed dog parks. Maybe I’ll dig out that old trifle recipe, four layers this time. Maybe this isn’t an ending. “This too shall pass”.
Amy Lindo
My inspiration for "unleashing" my thoughts are from Oscar, Zen and all the wonderful, humorous and memorable moments that they share with all the dog's at the off-leash park. If you have a cute or funny story to share with me, please post a reply, I would love to hear them. Cheers!!
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Thank you for your lovely comment Adriana. Yes, we have SO much to learn from our gurus, teachers and especially canine pals; they sure do have the unique ability to savour the moments, and learn from them whether they are good or bad. With positive attitudes and all our canines behind us, we will have the opportunuty to build a beautiful new “Zen garden”.
Amy, you have captured the essence of what we all can learn from our canine pals / gurus / teachers. They have the amazing ability, like children, to live completely in the NOW. They will always make a delicious meal out of a squashed dessert, where we will lament the time and effort that went into its spoiled perfection. We have so much to learn from them, don’t we? Thank you for sharing your thoughts. A real insight for all of us.