Journey #10

In this spiritual belief system we often talk about Unconditional Love.  What, exactly, does that look like?  We can make up all kinds of stories about how it means that it doesn’t matter what the person is doing, looks like, says etc. – you love them anyway.  You might say that it means that even if they do wrong, you will always love them anyway.  That it is a love that holds no boundaries.  That they fill your heart so much you barely know what to do with that love. 

Whatever story you use to describe Unconditional Love, you only have to have a dog in your life to know exactly what Unconditional Love looks like.  It looks like a dog. 

They follow you.  You are their WORLD.  They’d jump in front of a bus for you.  They miss you when you are gone – and they welcome you home as if you are the prodigal son returned – even if you’ve only been outside to the mailbox!  They turn those doleful eyes at you when you are eating and they are not.  “Honest…  I know I ate 20 minutes ago but I really am starving,” they seem to say.  You know they are saying this because you can hear them telepathically.

They sleep in your bed and snore and fart run in their sleep and take up far too much room for their size.  They make you go walk in the rain when you’d really rather stay home and dry.  They romp through the grass, or the water, or the sand with an amazing zest for life…  and bring all the debris home with them that they have collected in their fur.  They drool, all your clothes and most of your furniture are decorated with dog hair – which blocks up the vacuum.  They know which are your favourite shoes because they smell so strongly of you that they simply cannot – just cannot – not chew them because it makes them feel closer to you when you are not there.

You look at your dog – and you smile.  Your heart is filled to capacity.  You are joined, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.  You look into your dog’s eyes, and you see all your love returned ten-fold.

THAT, in the eyes of dog is, to my mind, Unconditional Love. 

That is what we need to be able to feel for our entire planet and every being upon her.  Human or otherwise.