What Theo is Teaching Me About Life.

I am the person who crosses the street, multiple streets if I have to, in order to pet a dog. I have wanted a dog so badly for many years now and it was never the “right” time. Then my dad sent me a picture on Instagram and all the reasons why I shouldn’t get a puppy didn’t matter because I had decided that I was ready. To seal the deal, my dad said to me “Gennie, there is never a perfect time to do anything”, and with that in mind I contacted the owners of the cutest dog I had ever seen.

Everyone, meet Theodore. I found out I got him when I was in Washington DC. On the left side of his mouth (right side in the picture) he has a brown marking that looks like a half mustache, hence because of where I was in the US and his mustache, I named him after President Theodore Roosevelt and I call him Theo for short. Although he is only 4.5 months he is smart, funny, SO cute, and just the best companion. I have had Theo for about two months now and he has already taught me so much about how to live life, how to take care of myself, and how to love.

Appreciate the Small Things → Theo is teaching me to enjoy life, especially the small things. Being in my 20s I feel like there is a ton of pressure to go on huge adventures, make the most money, and work the best jobs. Theo does not care about any of that. His greatest joys in life right now are playing tug of war in our living room, getting carrots as treats, and annoying the shit out of his brother and sister. (Frankie and Lincoln, our other dogs have a lot of patience.) He is happy going exploring in new places but his favorite spot is right beside me on my bed while we watch the Great British Bake Off. Watching Theo’s exuberance towards everyday occurrences has me appreciating the beauty of the mundane. From a really tasty cup of homemade coffee to a sunny walk around the block he is slowly teaching me to practice gratitude in situations I might have found insignificant before him.

Forgive… a Lot → I am slightly ashamed to admit that I hold grudges. I wouldn’t say that I hold grudges for long periods of time but I definitely fixate on negative emotions when I feel someone has wronged me, or treated me unfairly. I could forget to feed Theo dinner one night and he would wake up the next morning smiling like nothing had happened. Sure, he might bark at me excitedly when I got his food because he’s hungry but he wouldn’t be mad at my mistake from the night before. I aspire to be that quickly to forgive… and I am working on it.

Get Excited About Things You Enjoy → maybe this is just me but sometimes I feel like there is a stigma attached to being super passionate about something, especially if it is a niche thing. Theo has absolutely 0 impulse control when it comes to getting excited about things. (we are working on being calmer when we are excited).

Every time he saw my sister’s roommate the weekend that we visited he went nuts. When he sees leaves blowing in the wind, he HAS to chase them. This quality also shows up in my little sister who LOVES k-pop. I admire how willing she is to talk about her passion, and how excited she gets when she is explaining the background of different songs to me. She even joined a k-pop club on campus to share her excitement with others. Being passionate about something is not a feeling to mute but one to amplify, as long as you are keeping all paws, sorry I mean feet, on the ground.

Try Things That Scare You → The world is big and scary and overwhelming. Those qualities exist whether you are a 4 month old puppy or a 23 year old adult human. One day I was left pondering why am I so willing to help my puppy conquer his massive fear of our washing machine by sitting in the laundry room feeding him treats, when I can't get myself to take some chances and apply to new jobs? That changed by the way, Theo now LOVES the washing machine and "helps" us do laundry by pulling clothes out of the washer and dryer for us. I also recently got a new job :)

Overall, Theo is teaching me a lot about how to live a fulfilling life. Right now, my fulfilling life looks like this: getting up at 6am to take a walk while the sun rises, sharing carrots at snack time while I take a break from work, squeaky toys, and many many walks full of leaf chasing and barking. He is definitely worth it.