I am fascinated by my royal, regal, adorable, handsome five-year-old Shiba Inu pup – Aki. The long list of adjectives with the name of his royal highness only goes to prove how much we love him. There is no doubt that he is of a royal lineage but to realize that he is a spiritual teacher with no equal was a slow realization.

Aki wakes up in the morning, and he has no idea what the day has in store for him. He could get up and go to daycare. Or, he could get up and be in the car for eight hours to some location. Or, he could wake up and just lounge at home all day long. The possibilities are endless, and Aki has absolutely no idea.

And not only is he comfortable with ambiguity he also embraces what’s in store as if he had chosen it. If we go for a hike, he leaps and bounces on the trail like he had been looking forward to it for ages. If we decide to stay at home, he lounges like it’s been ages since he had a day to himself. Or, if he finds himself at daycare, he bounds in as if we abuse him at home.

This is not to say that he lets his subjects know if his needs are not met. He rings the bell when nature calls. Or, he stares at us with the judging looks only a Shiba can bestow when we have missed his treat time. Or, he jumps on the desk to remind us that it’s time for his walk.

All in all, he shows excellent common sense. Now, humans, on the other hand – not so much. I am beginning to understand the inspiration for the quote, ‘Common Sense Is Not So Common.’ might have originated from watching animals.

We wake up with a clear idea of an impossible to-do list. Any child or a pet would tell you that there is only so much time in the day, but time is not a barrier when it comes to our never-ending to-dos. Let’s say that some of us are wise enough to ensure that our list is manageable.

Read Carefully.
So, we have established that our list is manageable or does not even have a list.
Do things go as planned? If you are not a child, you should know that this is one of the universal truths in life.
Do you still go with the flow as if you planned them? If yes, then you don’t have to read the blog. (Why do you think Aki never reads my blogs?)

Humans resist what is happening now, at the moment, as if it were possible. It shouldn’t. I wish. For example, it might be pouring rain, but you (or your mind) wishes it were not. Your car has broken down, but you want it not to be broken. You have lost all your money, but you want it all back.

I am not saying that we accept everything that happens like a passive vegetable but be like Aki, who uses mind minimally, not all the time. Life is straightforward when we accept what is happening right now. We complicate when we wish otherwise.

As a result of this decree, Aki is my inspiration for common sense – what about yours?