My daily horoscope read, ” If you come to a mysterious door and turn the lock, what would you be delighted to see? Your answer will point you to the direction of your happiness.”
Of course the first thing that came to mind was opening the mysterious door and seeing a big steak bone, but I knew that would only make me happy for the short term, so I decided to give my horoscope some more thought. Thinking that it might be a good idea to ask my canine and human friends to see what they thought as well, I posted the horoscope question on Facebook and received some very interesting responses.
My canine friends wanted to open the door and find squirrels and rabbits to chase, tons of stinky stuff to roll in, unlimited belly rubs, big fields to run in, 100 yellow fire hydrants to pee on, doggy friends to play with, and special snuggle time with their humans. The human responses were more thought provoking. Some humans wanted to open the door and see nature, like a forest on a sunny day, their lake house or be outside on the water with all the dogs they have ever loved. Others wanted to see signs announcing the cure for cancer and other diseases. One person wanted to open the door and see chocolate cake, a published book with their name on it, and a farm they dreamed about living on some day. Many people responded that they would like to see deceased loved ones again, including OSU football coach Woody Hayes. Seeing Jesus Christ was one person’s wish. One of my co-workers felt that her sweet baby boy would point her in the direction of her happiness.
Concluding that the door to happiness is defined very differently for everyone, I decided to talk it over with Doc. She said she is not surprised that the answers were so different. Doc says that everyone defines their happiness in a very unique way based on their age and life experiences. She reminded me that what made me happy as a puppy is not the same thing that makes me happy as an adult dog. That made me curious, so I asked Doc what she would be delighted to see behind the mysterious door. She looked at me thoughtfully and closed her eyes. I waited patiently for a response when I noticed that she had fallen asleep. I guess Doc would open her door and be delighted to find a quiet place to take a nap. Sometimes it’s the simple things that bring us the most joy.