Dog is My Guru

Travis:

It seems the honeymoon is not much different than the time before Maggie and I joined in holy matrimony. Everything is back to normal and we are working as hard as ever on our little dream of sailing and adventure, while keeping in mind our greater purpose of generating inner peace through the practice of patience and virtue. This is a difficult task in the best of times, but it can seem nearly impossible when faced with the difficulties two large old wooden yachts present on a daily basis. It often feels like the battle to keep our home and our future home, from completely deteriorating, is a futile attempt to delay the inevitable. After all, everything and everyone will ultimately return to the Earth and thus complete the circle of life.

So, it sometimes feels as if all of this work is completely futile. This thought has made us both realize that no matter what we will never "finish" these projects. There will always be stuff to do. This past week, I finally got around to sanding and varnishing all of the bright work on Me Voy again. This is something that any boat owner will tell you, is a job that will always need to be done. While doing this I found some places on the deck that need repair, cracks in the deck house, and repairs that need to be made to the rig. These are all parts that were thought to be "done" at one point. Now they need to be "done" again. Our home boat is going to be getting hauled out for bottom paint next week. This was "done" just last year. So, you see there is no sense in stressing about getting these projects completed. That is a dream that will only bring disappointment.

This is a new way of thinking for me. I used to believe that I could do it all, and I would do it so good that I would never have to do it again. I thought that working toward this dream was what life was all about. Fortunately I live with a great teacher whose wisdom is far greater than I ever knew. I am not talking about Maggie, however she has taught me many important things. I am talking about Chopper. We are so blessed to live with such a joyful and compassionate friend who is always willing to show us a better way to live through his perfect example.

For Example:

Chopper is very serious about his business. Play time is serious for him. It may seem like he is just goofing off, but he knows if it weren't for him we would never have any fun at all. However, even though there is no end to this work, and he is very, very busy.....

He always takes the time to enjoy a beautiful sunset. Chopper has taught us to pay attention to the little things. Don't let life pass you by while you are busy with work. There will still be work to do tomorrow even if you work really hard today. It's alright to take a break and enjoy the scenery.

This is only one example. But this lesson goes a long way. We really do get caught up in the things we are doing a lot of times. These times are hard on everybody, and especially hard on relationships. Loving each other and living in peace are what Chopper is all about. We can't let work become our lives. If we do everybody involved will suffer.

Chopper isn't the only spiritual guide we live with. Here, Billy inspires our Yoga practice by showing off his flexibility, during a meditative catnip trance. He is quite the Yogi.

The most important work we can do is to live life. Enjoy each and every gift we have while we have them. Sooner than we would like to think, Chopper and Billy will have gone on, and all that will remain of them will be either fond memories or regret for the time we could have better spent. Of course we are still working on the boats. But we are careful not to miss out on the important things in life. That's it for now. It's time to get back to work.