Lessons From The Zen Mistress

Over the past few months I’ve been paying rather more attention than usual to Phoebe. The reasons why don’t matter; or rather they matter a lot but I won’t go into them here. But because of how much I’ve been attending to Phoebe, I’ve realized that there is a lot to learn just from watching her. These, then, are the lessons I learned from her in 2010…

If you really care for someone, sometimes the best way to show it is to simply sit near them. Say nothing, and do nothing, but be there waiting until you are needed.

You don’t always get rewarded for being good. You don’t always get punished for being bad. That just isn’t how the universe works. And that’s okay. Life is for living, not for keeping accounts.

It’s always a good idea to go outdoors, even if only for a little while. No matter what it's like outside, a few minutes spent out in the open will make you feel better.

Age is a state of mind. How old you are depends on how badly you want to go out and smell the grass.

If you are happy to see someone, let them know it. It’s not something to be shy about.

Accidents happen. Get over it.

Never take a good thing for granted. Enjoy it while it’s there. And if it’s gone (when it’s gone) don’t brood about it. Sooner or later another good thing will come along. You need to keep your mind clear so that you can see it and seize it when that happens.

It’s okay to still love the toy you had when you were a puppy. There are some things you will never grow out of.

If you’re happy and you know it, wag your tail.

Actions are a lot less confusing than words.

There's somebody who's going to miss you very much when you are not there. If you know who that is, you are very lucky. If you will miss them too, you are even luckier.