Dog poop and happiness

I was walking my dogs in the park last Monday. The weather wasn’t particularly good. My head was as cloudy as my eyes after hours sitting at the computer. My body felt stiff. The sensations of a typical Monday afternoon.

An energetic border collie ran passed me, chasing after a ball – his owner stood on top of a steep hill looking over the park.

Before too long the dog, as all dogs do at the park, decided to take a toilet break. In that moment of observation I decided to do something I have never done before – I took a doggie bag out of my back pocket, walked over to the said deposit, picked it up and waved to the owner.

Now, this is not something I like to do for my own dogs so the task is even more unpleasant when it involves an unknown dog.

By this time the very appreciative owner had run down the hill and took the package to the bin – explaining it was the least he could do for such a kind gesture.

I walked away from the brief interaction with a new sensation – I was floating and I smiled the whole way home. So it got me thinking, if such a small and simple act of kindness towards another could create such a massive mind and body transformation, why is it that I spend my life trying to capture and construct happiness by doing/buying things for myself?