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What My Dogs Taught Me About Joy · The Seed Project

• 0:01
  Hey, friend.
• 0:02
  Welcome to Sunday Seed.
• 0:03
  I'm Charlotte Edwards, and I believe small seeds create big impact.
• 0:08
  Each week, we'll plant one.
• 0:10
  Let's dig in.
• 0:14
  So today's wisdom comes from my golden retrievers, Petey and George.
• 0:19
  Okay.
• 0:19
  Stay with me, but these two know how to live.
• 0:22
  We're talking tug-of-war battles over one toy, pure excitement over tennis balls, dedicated squirrel surveillance from the backyard, serious couch time positioned perfectly at the window for their neighborhood patrol.
• 0:36
  They wake up every morning like they won the lottery, tails wagging, fully committed to the day, excited about air, maybe they'll find some crumbs in the kitchen, pine cones, squirrels.
• 0:49
  And meanwhile, most humans wake up already stressed about emails they haven't even received yet.
• 0:57
  I was watching them this week.
• 0:58
  Petey was sprinting across the yard carrying a stick like he'd personally conquered the world.
• 1:04
  George was losing his mind over the little gumballs that fall from the trees.
• 1:09
  And I thought,"When did we stop letting simple things count?" Somewhere along the way, adulthood convinced us that joy has to be earned, that life starts when the goals are reached, the work is done, the house is clean, the body is perfect, the schedule slows down, and the next thing finally happens.
• 1:30
  But dogs don't live that way.
• 1:32
  Children don't either.
• 1:34
  They're experiencing life while it's happening.
• 1:37
  We turn life into management.
• 1:39
  We manage schedules.
• 1:41
  We manage people's expectations.
• 1:43
  We manage our image.
• 1:45
  We manage stressful situations.
• 1:47
  Always the next thing and the next thing.
• 1:49
  Trying to optimize the moment instead of actually living it.
• 1:53
  Some people cannot enjoy dinner because they're worried about tomorrow's meeting.
• 1:57
  They can't enjoy the vacation because they're thinking about work.
• 2:01
  They can't enjoy success because immediately they keep moving their finish line.
• 2:07
  And eventually you wake up and realize you've spent years planning, documenting, fixing, preparing, and not fully being.
• 2:17
  And that's a hard way to live.
• 2:19
  And maybe that's part of the wisdom.
• 2:22
  Not becoming childish, but becoming awake again.
• 2:26
  Because honestly, a lot of people are- aren't exhausted from hard lives, they're exhausted from never fully entering their lives at all.
• 2:34
  Most people are mentally living three weeks ahead of themselves, solving problems that haven't even happened yet, and caring tomorrow before t- today even has a chance.
• 2:46
  Life is happening right now.
• 2:49
  Sunlight through your windows, fresh sheets, kids laughing, music in the car, you laughing so hard you snort, and maybe someone remembering your coffee order Your dogs are greeting you like you've been gone for six months when you just went out to get the mail.
• 3:06
  Small things, beautiful things.
• 3:09
  And these small things are usually where life actually lives.
• 3:14
  Not everything meaningful looks impressive online.
• 3:17
  Not every beautiful moment becomes a milestone.
• 3:19
  Sometimes life is just a golden retriever running through the yard for absolutely no reason and enjoying every moment.
• 3:28
  Maybe they're onto something That's your seed.
• 3:32
  Now go, plant something good.