International Day of Happiness

Today is the first time I have ever heard of the United Nations International Day of Happiness and how appropriate that the face of the 2014 Day of Happiness is a pit bull named Macy. There is so much about happiness that I learned from our pooches (the list is modified from Action for Happiness).

Giving (Do Things for Others)

The pooches are always doing small things for each other and for us. Mr. B is willing to be the pillow that Miss M is seeking. Both pooches willingly don hats, sweaters, tutus, etc. that bring joy to us and other people. A and I do small random acts of kindness for strangers that will hopefully bring them some joy.
Relating (Connect with People)

Miss M, the lovable social butterfly, cannot contain her excitement when she meets her many current and future fans. Though Mr. B takes a bit longer to warm up to a stranger, the moment he smooches you on the lips you have made the most loyal friend for life. Though A and I are both quite shy (me more so than A), the pooches have taken us out of our comfort zone and pull us to meet new people on a daily basis. Through the pooches, we have made many new friends for life.

Exercising (Take Care of your Body)

The pooches are excited for any adventure that awaits them and they cannot wait to go on their daily walks, SociaBulls walks and their extended weekend walks. A loves walking, while I detest walking and prefer skateboarding or biking to my destination. However, with the pooches, a 3 mile walk seems to go by like a 2.75 mile walk, and with more appreciation for our beautiful city.
Appreciating (Notice the World Around)

Speaking of appreciating our beautiful city, on our walks, the pooches are always appreciating every aspect of our their great city including urine stained object, unpicked-up dog waste, feral cat waste, and half eaten french fry to name a few. Our daily walks also gives us an opportunity to appreciate street art, find new restaurants, meet new people and appreciate the diversity of our city and discover the beauty in every neighborhood of our great city.

Trying Out (Keep Learning New Things)

Despite being senior pooches, they cannot wait for their next adventure and they love trying out new treats, eating new foods, playing with new toys, and meeting new stuffys. Because of our pooches, we have done so many new things: we started a blog, started SociaBulls, discovered so many new Chicago neighborhoods, learned the basics of photography to name a few.
Direction (Have goals to look forward to, but be grateful)
Each day the pooches have a goal of eating their delicious breakfast and dinner, walking on their daily adventure, taking naps in the sun and sleeping in their comfy beds. Despite the fact that they have their goals they are grateful for their life at that moment. I spent much of my life believing that I will be happy when I accomplish a certain goal. With guidance from the pooches, I have realized that though it is nice to have goals, I should be grateful for the life I have right now.

Resilience (Find ways to bounce back)
Despite having their lives turned upside down with fosters, housesitters, and boarding, once things have settled, the pooches behave as if nothing has changed and they go back to being their happy selves. Though very difficult, I am trying to emulate the pooches and remain resilient whenever a setback occurs, though sometimes I am not as successful in bouncing back as they are.
Emotion (Take a positive approach)

Despite whatever happened a second before, the pooches are always excited for their next adventure. They never let whatever happened before, even seconds before, impact their mood on their current adventure. This is something I struggle with, but with lessons from the pooches and A, I am starting to approach all of our new adventures with a positive outlook.

Acceptance (Be comfortable with who you are)

Who better to exemplify this than Miss M. Miss M is very comfortable in her fur and she is not afraid to show it. On the other hand, Mr. B is more reserved, but he is quite comfortable carrying around his stuffys on any adventure. The pooches show that we should all be proud of who we are and even more so, accept and respect everyone for who they are.
Meaning (Be part of something bigger)
We never thought that we would be an advocate for a breed, but so much has changed because of our pooches.