Loneliness

My mom just recently read the book Lost Connections by Johann Hari and told me all about it (because let's be honest- I'm waaaay too busy to read books on my own). It was super interesting. Johann Hari struggled with anxiety and depression the majority of his life, was not getting better through medication and counseling, so traveled the world trying to find root causes of depression and cultures with alternative solutions. The results were surprisingly simple. The lonelier a person is, the more depressed they can feel. Once a society (neighborhood, school, work place, sewing club, etc) embraces the person, the person engages with the society, the person feels a sense of identity and purpose, and loneliness fades with the depression symptoms. I know that sounds overly simple, but let's be honest.. I'm a dog. My brain can only think so deep. :)

Human society is kinda tricky right now. There's this strange sense of individuality-earn more, achieve more, buy more, and post more pictures with the perfect backgrounds. Why? What is this all for? Happiness? It sure doesn't seem that way from my furry perspective. Do you wanna know when I see humans the happiest? When they're together celebrating holidays or successes, interacting with each other, investing in each other, feeling a sense of purpose with each other. We live in a very anxious society where humans are so worried about what others think of them, they stay home and isolate. That's not living- that's existing. Don't get me wrong, if you're an introvert, I get you need to be at home by yourself to recharge- introversion is not something to fix. However, don't get lost in a solitary world. Recharge your battery then use it to find connection and belonging.

When I was a therapy dog I had a lot of purpose - helping humans who struggled with eating disorders. I felt a sense of belonging in their society. However, when they'd discharge from the residential, my world fell apart, and I didn't know what my purpose was anymore. When I transitioned into my family's house I was confused abut my purpose for a bit, then realized my mom needed me really bad. Her best friend dog had just passed away and her heart was pretty sad. She needed me to come in, be goofy, and help heal her heart.

Fast forward five years- my purpose is still making people laugh with my weird antics (check out my instagram pictures of me creeping around corners), following my brother everywhere so he feels like he has backup when he does dog things like bark at squirrels, laying on top of my humans like I'm a 75-pound-weighted-blanket-lap-dog, and wagging my tail like a helicopter instead of back and forth like a "normal" dog to make humans giggle. So, see... my purpose in my society is to bring humans joy and companionship.

I've found my purpose, my society, and my identity... what's yours?

Feel free to share in the comments.