Last night, at my great friend and muse Cristy Candler‘s birthday party for her five year-old Chihuahua Lola –– which consisted of about 8 people and 9 dogs (I think) I was reminded of how much love our dogs give us constantly and unconditionally.
Here’s something I wrote in UPWARD DOG that expresses exactly that:
One morning I took Belle on a particularly long walk, as a means, frankly, of distracting myself from dreary personal problems I was stewing over.
Preoccupied, I suddenly realized that she was being lavishly complimented by the movie star Liv Tyler, the magical elf Arwen of The Lord of The Rings. Belle and I chatted with Liv and her King Charles Spaniel for about fifteen minutes before heading home.
Ten minutes later, we ran into Jamal, a homeless man on the Lower East Side who adores Belle. In fact, a few months before in the winter, he told me he was “living for the summer just to see Belle play in the sprinklers in the park with the kids again.”
Most people, myself included, tend to be much more interested in hanging out with beautiful movie stars than snaggletoothed homeless men. Not Belle, however. As though looking through the eyes of a great saint, Belle sees no difference between them, lavishing her affection equally on Jamal and Liv Tyler. Unlike myself, she’s “starstruck” by all of humanity.
Belle’s spirit of boundless inclusion inspires less spiritually-advanced beings like myself. A tremendous amount of letting go on my part would be necessary to approach her level of unconditional love. She allows everyone to be exactly who they are without comparing or condemning anyone. This absence of judgment creates a joyful, connecting energy that is incredibly expansive.
Sharon Salzberg writes that “A mind filled with love can be likened to the sky with a variety of clouds moving through it — some light and fluffy, others ominous and threatening. No matter what the situation, the sky is not affected by the clouds. It is free.” Through yoga practice, “We develop, as the Buddha advised to do, a power of love, compassion, joy and equanimity so strong that our mind becomes like space that cannot be painted, or like the pure river that cannot be burned.”
Belle exemplifies this boundless energy of cosmic connection because she allows everyone and everything.
Completely in touch with her own inherent worthiness, she’s able to view everyone else in the same way. She allows everyone else to be exactly who they are and appreciates them no matter what. The vastness of her compassion gives Belle a proverbial heart as wide as the world.
