ATTENTION DECODED

When you stumble in public and then you get back to the car, still red from embarrassment and the keys are laughing at you behind 4 locked doors... When you can’t remember someone’s name and they even had a nametag on, waiting there to save you…if you had only looked down… When you tell your child they are going to be late for school, and you get to the front door only to realize it is Sunday... You do not know why it seems the universe is against you. You just know for sure… You are having one of those days From the moment you woke up you just knew this was not your day.   You think to yourself: If anything else can go wrong, it will go wrong.   Almost every person can relate to this feeling. When other people make an attempt to understand how you feel because they have felt similarly it removes your isolation. You just want someone else to understand, to listen, and be present. When someone takes the time to acknowledge your struggle it is powerful...

Interest is what you pay to rent money that isn’t yours. Borrowing money is seen as a win-win. You get the money you need now and the bank ends up with more money at the end of the deal for renting you their money.   With payments and money we can physically see that this system can work and be good for everyone before engaging in the deal.   Generosity is different. Generosity usually means you are willing to do something and not expect to be paid back. The good news is you can be generous without it costing money. There is generosity in listening deeply to someones concerns. There is generosity in being patient and explaining things again. Generosity shows us that it isn’t always a monetary investment that has the best return. Most of us can loan someone a dollar when we stand to earn two in return. Something phenomenal happens when you give without thinking about what you will receive in return. AG

The human brain and the brain of a dog both have the same ability to produce a chemical that bonds us across species lines forming love and attachment. Humans have this with each other too but studies show that less of the chemical is released over time between two humans, yet remains the same between a human and a dog. But why?  Communication: When it comes to communication the most important component is the act of listening. Listening not to react. Listening for the sole purpose of making a person feel like you are there attempting to connect. Dogs seem to do that so flawlessly but only up to a certain point. Dogs can't respond with words. What we need is to feel acknowledged by our own species to feel validated and understood. Acknowledged by a person. A person who is there and doing their best to understand something from your view point. Present in the moment.  Our dog may not respond with words, but he is there not interrupting us, and we can feel i...