Karma's Kolumn: Good Advice from a Dog -- Remember the Good Things

I try to look on the positive side of things and to remember the good in the people I meet.  Yesterday my friend Phoebe came to my house to prune out some of the vines that tangle around things.  She brought a picnic lunch to eat before she started work and borrowed my blanket to spread out on the lawn.  She gave me some roast beef, but without horseradish, which I didn't want.  Then she gave me some more.  I've been eating mostly vegetarian recently, so this was a real treat.

Phoebe came again today to bring some celery for the salad.  Celery I could take or leave, but frankly I recommend taking it to the compost and leaving it there for the worms.  They love celery.  I remembered that Phoebe had brought me roast beef yesterday, so I sniffed around her pockets to see whether she had any roast beef conveniently stored there.  They were different pants from yesterday, so not only was there no roast beef, there wasn't even the SMELL of roast beef. 

I was disappointed that she'd forgotten to bring me something, but I won't hold it against her.  I'm hopeful that next time she visits she'll bring me roast beef or some other treat.  I suppose I could have spent the whole day feeling sad or angry, but why make myself miserable?  I had four other guests come visit -- three people and my friend Seneca, a German shepherd -- so I had a very busy day.  If I'd been moping around about the roast beef, I might have been grumpy and forgotten my manners.  Instead, I was able to be present in the moment and give each of my guests the attention they deserved.  They, in turn, gave me the attention I deserved. 

I've heard that some people get angry and never let it go.  This must make them very unhappy and leave them stuck in the past, not able to enjoy the present or be hopeful about the future.  Furthermore, angry people aren't very pleasant to be around. 

My advice if you start feeling angry about somebody is to make a list of all the good things you can think of about the person – the nice things they have said or done in the past, how pretty their eyes are, the sound of their voice, how they've made you laugh.  If you think about all the positive things about that person, whatever they did that made you angry will seem very small.  People don't usually mean to do things to make you angry, so it's a waste of good karma, if you don't mind my using my name, to get upset. 

I hope you have a very happy day.  And try to remember to take your friend a piece of roast beef or a buttercup.  It's a good year for buttercups.  They're all over my yard.