Whoever thought a sausage dog would deliver a message?

Last week my daughter got a sausage dog for her birthday, (the butt of many jokes given she is a vegan). And while buying products for him at the pet store we were served by a fellow dachshund owner named Beau. He was a font of knowledge about this breed and delivered some sage and timely advice I had to share.

You see, I’d been having a few “mouse moments.” Any of you who have completed my Well-th Matrix® will know that this applies to those moments where we can feel diminished, confined, less certain and optimistic about life in general. I’d been grounded for a week with a car in the shop and a new puppy at home, (a drop in the ocean compared to Sydney’s 10 weeks in lockdown and Melbourne’s over 200 days confined). But nonetheless, we all have our moments, which makes the timing of this message more meaningful. 

Beau advised us to “keep his world big.” 

He explained that Dachshunds are hunting dogs and have a reputation for being snappy and slightly neurotic, unless you expose them to ample stimuli, people, animals and experiences (sound familiar?). He described his own dog who sits in the car with his seatbelt on and is driven to fascinating places with fabulous friends.

And it reminded me of Step 8 of my book, The Pink Hard Hat –  especially where the world is moving too fast, and you feel forgotten and left behind, to “stay connected to people and information that build you up.”

Connection is the key.

Keep your world big.

Listen to podcasts and consume content that inspires and entertains.

I promise it helps. 

And in the meantime, it distracts. 

Which if you’ve ever had a puppy, you’ll recall is just as valuable.