Connecting the Dogs

What I'm going to write about is nothing you haven't already heard. Everything out there says people are more lonely and depressed than ever because of social media. There's a constant flood of pictures and statuses showing us that our friends are living these amazing lives, while our current situation involves Papa John's and Netflix reruns (Yes, I am still watching, thankyouverymuch). I'll admit that I am a social media oversharer and, like pretty much every other person out there, I only share the good (and sometimes awkwardly funny) things. But there are times when I get into a major funk and feel completely lost. I'm reading a book called "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" and one chapter is called "You are Not Special." I laughed at the title, but the idea behind it is that we are not unique in our situations. We are not the first person to have a broken heart, medical problem, or addiction. Somewhere out there, someone else feels like we do. When I started to really think about it, I realized that I'm always in my funk when I feel like I'm alone. Alone in my situation. Alone in my thoughts. Alone in the darkness. What always makes me feel better is to reach out and connect with someone. It's always helpful to have a person there to say, "I know how you feel" or "I've been there" or "Here, let's have some wine." Real life connections...that's what we are missing. That's why social media makes us feel the way that we do. We are not out having real life interactions with each other.

I was out taking pictures with my friend Sam the other day, and we met some cool people. At one point I went up to a man on the street and asked if I could photograph his dog. He said yes, so I took my pictures, complete with my crazy dog lady voice (which is an octave higher than my speaking voice, and completely void of R's & Th sounds). Sam said, "I think it's awesome how you will talk to pretty much anybody." And I will. I like connections... I like getting to know people. When I worked at Cracker Barrel (like 13 years ago) there was this elderly man that came in every Monday. He ordered the same meal: coffee, one scrambled egg, and a piece of whole wheat toast with apple butter. None of the servers really wanted him because he stayed forever reading his paper then tipped $1. I had him at my table one morning and decided to start a conversation with him. He told me he was a gardener. I'll admit that I knew nothing about gardening at the time, but he was so excited that someone had an interest in what he had to say that it made me happy to listen. The next week, he asked for my table. A few weeks after that, he brought me a copy of a "Better Homes & Garden" magazine with a full spread OF HIS GARDEN. It was so cool to have met this really interesting man, all because I made the effort to get to know him a little bit. 

First random dog I photographed on the street. 

This gentleman came to my mind when I was thinking of my blog post, and I think it was because he was alone. Making that small connection with him ended up being a blessing in both of our lives. I came to really enjoy having him at my table, and he liked having someone to talk to. I think sometimes these connections are just what we need to put a little light through our personal darknesses. Now, about my project!

I know several people who say things like, "I won't talk to a person, but I'll talk to every dog on the street." Maybe you're like that. Why is it so hard to talk to people but not to dogs? My thought is because dogs, unlike people, rarely let us down. They don't gossip, lie, or care that we've not changed out of sweatpants in four days. Dogs are always so happy to see us, even if we have been gone less than 5 minutes. To put it simply, dogs love us unconditionally. Humans are more difficult than dogs. It's hard to put our real selves out there with people. I think we have become so cold and distant in our hearts that we would rather walk past a person and pretend they don't exist, than to make eye contact with them and smile. People let us down, so sometimes it's easier to not even bother.  I think this is partly why the world is so messed up; no one takes the time to connect anymore. But we all have the ability to learn things from one another. Everyone I have met has taught me something. Sometimes the lessons are small, but others have completely changed my life. 

My project is called Connecting the Dogs. My page will consist of dogs' pictures and the caption will say something that their owner has taught me. Some of these will be friends' dogs; others will be people I've just met. I know not everyone will share their life stories with me, but I am willing to bet that it will still be a small (albeit, silly) way to connect. I would also love it if others joined in on this. Since it's easy to talk to dogs on the street, this is a simple way to start talking to the people with them. Say hello to the dog AND the owner (preferably sans dog voice). Connect with someone. Share your light with someone. Make others smile. If nothing else, at least there will be a page with cute dog pictures. And there's never enough of that!

Follow & join me on...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connectingthedogs/
Instagram: connectingthedogs

Max's owner has taught me that there will always be someone there to lean on. 

Maverick's owner has shown me that we have the ability to change the moods of those around us by the excitement we bring, the fun we have, and the love we show each other every day. 

Angus's owner has taught me that sometimes, you just have to dance it out. Life is not always that serious, and it's fine to be silly and embrace what makes us unique.