Encounters with a Sprinkler

I am a student, and my dog is my teacher. 

This week, my puppy, Beta, encountered his first sprinkler. As he repeatedly stuck his face against the spraying head, he seemed to be feeling so many things all at once:

Excitement
Frustration
Confusion
Joy
Wonder
Discomfort
Annoyance
Fun

All this as he tried to work out what to do with the spitting water. 

Returning from our walk, I promptly forgot about the whole experience until I stumbled upon the video this morning and the lesson struck me. I could learn a thing or two from this exuberant pup. 

Just like Beta, we can experience lots of things all at once, especially around the unexpected. But what happens when we do? Instead of stopping to explore, feel the things and move on, I can often get stuck, mired by feelings of overwhelm or paralyzed by frustration. It’s easy to let the more negative feelings come to the forefront and shadow our curiosity and joy.

But my puppy doesn’t do this, he plays, wonders and then, with his tongue out and eyes wide, he moves on. 

He does not dwell.
He does not hold a grudge.
He does not overthink.

At some point, he is content to let the sprinkler be (whatever that is) and explore the next yard. 

I often feel that my dog training is one-sided - that the onus is on me to teach him. And while he still has a lot to learn:

greet people calmly
stay out of the burr patch
keep noses off counters
no barking at the mail carrier
avoid eating legos, tissues, blocks, underwear, shoes, toy trucks etc.

I am realizing that this teaching relationship goes two ways. In his wildness, there is some valuable wisdom.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

1. Don’t worry so much about getting a little wet, it’s just water that can be fun if you let it.

2. You don’t have to figure out the mysteries of life (or how the sprinkler works) all in one outing. You can appreciate it and move on.

3. Have fun! Life’s too short to let the negative overshadow the joy. 

Credit: I love the word “encounter” and having just completed his book Encounters with the Archdruid, I must thank John McPhee for the inspiration to use it in the title for this post.