Love guru

Whenever I walk along Marine drive, I see people with big, stylish dogs, decorated with pretty bows, hair puffed and fancy leash, trying to showcase their dogs’ skills to everybody around. They would make it fetch, hop on two legs, high-five, dance, roll over and many more, which I don’t even know what they call.

Have you ever thought that our so called ‘mans’ best friend’ can be our ‘love guru’. We can be adroit enough to train our doggy in aspect more than one, however, there’s one periphery where our pooch can swap places with us. Believe it or not, our pet dog knows the mantra to a successful relationship better than us.

Wondering what I am talking about? When I sit and stare at Mishtis’ pics on my desk, my laptop wallpaper, my screen saver, my phone wallpaper, etc. I cant help but feel how compassionate she is. I love the relation Mishti and I share (all thanks to her). Only if I could learn and adopt a few qualities from her, my life would be different and I would never feel less loved.

First, forgiveness is guaranteed. I have often heard others complain (I being no exception), “I can count so many instances in the past when you haven’t treated me right” or “I cant forgive you for what you did to me 3 years back” or “Don’t force me to dig into the past, I am quite capable of taking a revenge” or “This is in return for what you did to me ages back”…. Blah blah blah. We all dream of a partner/friend/colleague who doesn’t mind moving ahead of grudges and forgiving, rather than constantly brooding over past frustrations and arguments. But, dogs have an innate quality of living in the moment. Even if you yell at them, they will sit quietly to express their dislike towards our reaction, but the moment you behave normally, they’ll be all over you once again. They bury all past grudges and forgive us for scolding them.

I remember, when we had left Mishti home alone (with the Helper Bhaiya) for 3 days, Bhaiya would call us up everyday to inform that she isn’t having her proper meals and is very upset with us for doing this injustice to us. But the moment we reached back home, she forgot all about it and received us with a big hug.

If everybody could learn to wipe the slate as easily and quickly as these lovable creatures, relationships won’t ever get grumpy.

Second, Unconditional love is assured! When a dog loves its owner, it’s pure, sans any give and take, which is beautiful. Unlike human beings, dogs are non- judgmental. They will love you irrespective of whether you love them or not. They will love you irrespective of your status- whether you are a celebrity or a common man. Even if you leave them alone at home for hours, they will still pound on you when they see you and shower their wet kisses on you.

Their love is so unconditional that even if you lock them up in the verandah, they will still cry if they see you crying. I remember when I was a kid, I saw this movie Chaalbaaz, (For those who think it was a lame movie, I don’t care. I loved it) where a dog is fighting against the villain to save his malkin, but in the process he gets killed. I cried continuously for the poor dog, until my mom assured me that it was just a movie and the dog is still alive. Even when I saw Will Smiths' dog die in 'I am Legend', my heart went out for him. The point that I am trying to make here is, that dogs will love you more than their own selves. That’s Unconditional Love.

If we learn just this lesson from our dogs, sailing safe across the toughest waters won't be hard in life.

Third, Patience is personified! Thanks to our hectic lifestyle struck with a multitude of personal, professional and social anxieties, our patience level has become drastically low.

Qualities such as tolerance and endurance are missing. This is the reason why we often end up fighting with our loved ones.

Here too, we can look upto our dogs for help. Mishti is extremely patient. Like even if she wants to go out for a walk early in the morning, she will quietly sit next to you and wait for you to wake up and take her out, but would never disturb your sleep. No matter how hungry she is, she will never disturb you if you are dining.

Fourth, Consistency for sure! Unlike humans, dogs do not get mood swings. Every breed of dog has a set nature to which it consistently sticks to. Mishti will consistently behave in the same playful manner unless and until, there's something seriously wrong with her.

I am sure there are a lot many other qualities which I cant think of now. If you can, do drop it in the comments box.