It's a beautiful day

Happy Grandpuppy Cash on a walk 

Cheery-O
If you smile, the day will be alright
If you think good thoughts you'll be happy
And everything will work out right
So don't let a frown turn you sour,
Don't let bad thoughts make you blue
Always remember to think positively
For how you feel is up to you
~author unknown?

 You may ask yourself, Why is there a ? at the end of that quote...
To answer your question, I received it in my Christmas card from my dear cousins this year. It was written in my Aunt Marianne's writing. My cousins (they are her children) claim she used to copy verses down and had hundreds of them.

Aunt Marianne 

They told me most likely she is not the author. I searched for this online and cannot find it, so in my mind she is the author ... because this is how she lived her 90+ years on this earth. She lived them with zest and joy.

She was one of my hero's. No matter what the day looked like when she saw you, she would ALWAYS say, "Wow, it's a beautiful day." That was her philosophy in life. She lived with joy, grace and beauty, not wasting a second. She once told me she jogged in front of the microwave to make the best use of her time while waiting. She always made you feel special and had the biggest smile. I miss and admire my Aunt Marianne and strive to live like she did. She made the most of everyday, not wasting it ,but making it beautiful.

Aunt Marianne , always a joy

Recently I met a very sweet and kind woman, Denise, who shared some beautiful stories with me about her dad, Clyde Arthur Hedges, "Art". She told me about how he and his wife "subscribed to 'furry philosophy” and lived in the moment with his German Shepherds and Irish Setters. Art, his wife Zella, and their dogs, lived in the Northern Michigan woods and would ski, walk and swim together, living life to the fullest.

Art and Dutchess

Each day Art and his shepherd Dutchess would walk together through the apple orchard. Dutchess loved to munch on fallen apples. One afternoon they came home from their walk and Art had an apple he found. He said to his daughters, "Look girls, here is the perfect apple, the colors are beautiful." He did a watercolor of it, finding perfection in simple beauty. Art loved the rainbow bridge philosophy. When someone was parted from him, he was quoted as saying, "Just remember a farewell is only the beginning of another hello."

The apple watercolor

These two special souls, who now have angel wings, lived life to the fullest, into their 90's. I believe their positive outlooks deserved to be admired and shared.

It seems to me our furry friends try to share this philosophy with us on a daily basis. I think of my grandpuppy Cash, who just visited. She is a big, sweet, goofy lab mix. When asked a simple, "Cash do you want to go outside? She leapt straight up, all four feet in the air, and ran to the door with such exuberance you would have thought she won the doggie lotto. When I took her into the woods for a hike, a simple everyday walk made her so happy. I could not get a photo of her with all four feet on the ground at one time, most of them looked like she was doing hand stands. Every little thing seemed to make her jump for joy. I am certain if she could talk she would be shouting Aunt Marianne's, "Wow, it's a beautiful day!"

Recently Odin and I have been working on Nosework games, where the dog learns to identify a particular scent such as birch.  One game we play involves two empty Altoids containers and some treats. When I bring those little metal tins out, Odin looks like a child about to open a birthday present. He is so happy with something so simple and to play a game with me (and of course get treats). He looks forward to something as simple as sitting on the floor with something that is usually just discarded as trash. He gets happy feet as soon as I pull out the bag with the tins inside.

Odin says, "Mom I am ready to play a game"

I believe if we can hold this Furry Philosophy of finding beauty in simplicity, from our furry friends,  and wise souls such as Aunt Marianne and Art Clay, in our heart, we will start each day with a smile.