“Live your best life”. We’ve all heard this phrase or variations, right? Though lately, I seem to be hearing it EVERYWHERE; TV shows, friends, and even as a feigned response to someone who’s about to do something you think is utterly senseless. “You’re really going to spend $500 on that designer chihuahua purse carrier? Well… live your best life, girl” After some quick googling, it was no surprise that a female icon and Ellie’s hero, Oprah, coined this ponderous phrase.
In my humble opinion, the idea of Living my best life is completely and wonderfully fluid, meaning the definition is ever-changing; one day this could mean eating a bottomless bowl of extra cheesy mac n’ cheese while watching Hugh Jackman videos and the next day going for a nice long run on a sunny day (which is probably closer to Oprah’s true definition). However, some of my favorite ‘best life’ days involve encouraging my dogs to live their best life because it doesn’t require too much effort on my part. I’m not suggesting a dog’s life is uncomplicated because it just is. When I facetiously ask what he’s doing with his life, Herky will often shoot me a sharp look that says, “You try protecting an entire house from invisible heffalumps and woozles all while waiting anxiously at the door for you or dad to come home!” All I’m saying is when it comes to living your best life as a canine, Ellie and Herk are THEE EXPERTS! They helped me put together a list of tips for living YOUR best life (dog or not):
1. Go on adventures (and continuously jump out of the canoe for fun)
2. Roll in the grass (especially if something has died there recently)
3. Get wrapped up in blankets! It’s o.k. to fall out of the bed
4. Play with friends!
5. RELAX
6. Play with squeaky mouse ball filled with catnip until you get crazy eyes (yaaas queen!)
7. Smile!
As I write this on a Monday night, Herky is breaking the silence by rudely chomping down on a midnight snack of kibble that he spilled all over the floor after sliding 6 ft (Risky Business style) from living room to kitchen and awkwardly stumbling into his and Ellie’s bowl simultaneously. Now THAT’S what I call living your best life!
Go on! Live YOUR best life, friends!
