Shannon shares the meaning of life, lessons learned from my dog tucker.
The Awakened & Aligned Podcast with Shannon Kaiser
Miracles
Hello fellow Toastmasters, I'm a guest. Today I'm going to talk to you guys about Tucker. Some of you know about my journey. Some of you know what I've been through over the past few years. I've made it through the darkness. I overcame a lot of stuff, changed careers in that. It's been a journey. I heard a quote yesterday and I wanted to share it with you guys. Life is like a journey. Life is like an ocean wave. And if you dive into it, you come out on the other side, feeling alive and refreshed. But if you resist, you fall back. And that's what has been happening in my life. And that's what made the journey so tough. I was resisting. I was resisting the natural flow and who I really was. I've come out on the other side. There's been one constant through this whole entire three years. My dog, Tucker. He came to me at my darkest darkest time. I was depressed in Chicago and an Earth Angel came into my apartment. 80 pounds of love jumped up and hugged me. I'm going to share Tucker with you guys today. I can pass this around as I talk. I'm an intimate scream. After I made it through the darkness, Tucker and I moved to Oregon. Everything's great. It's like peaches and cream, right? Not so much. Life doesn't get easier after you make it through the hard times. But I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. And about three months ago, I realized I want something more. I want to make a difference on a huge mass level. I have this yearning in my heart to be more, do more, help more. What did that look like? For me, it looked like volunteering. Being of service and how? With my best friend, Tucker, of course, I wanted for him to be a therapy dog. How amazing for us to go into hospitals and schools and help people together. So I went through the process. I went to Dove Lewis. I filled out the application and lo and behold, I won the scholarship. I didn't have to pay anything. I was like, this is a sign. How many of you guys have been on a path and things just open up doors open? And it's your right where you need to be. That's how you know that you're right where you need to be when things flow. I was like, this is perfect. Everything's great. I passed flying colors 95% the written test. Tucker, we are A plus students. And then I filled out the appropriate paperwork that she sent me for the next part, which was the in-person evaluation. I look at my dog. I'm like, we got this in the bag. I'm reading through the evaluation process. Dog must be well-tempered. Check. Good. Compassionate. Loyal. Nature. Check. Listens to commands. Check. Good. Health. Check. This is great. Good. Ears. Eyes. Nose. I'm like, Tucker. I talked to my dog. How many of you guys talked to your pets, right? You've had a runny nose for about three months now. Well, the seasons have changed. I've moved. I've moved in a new place. I thought it was allergies. But here it says this might be a serious condition, and they cannot be around other people. So, I make an appointment with the vet. The very next day, we've had downplays per concern, and we run a whole bunch of tests. It's come to find out after four different specialists later, and six weeks later, and a lot of money, that my dog has a tumor. Two weeks ago, I found out that my best friend in the whole entire world has a tumor on his brain and his eye, and this process has shook me to the core, because what do you do when the person or his person, the thing you love, the soulmate, is sick. What do you do when they've been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease? This process has opened up my eyes to three specific areas that I want to share with you guys today. The first is that time really matters. As soon as I heard that diagnosis, that your dog has a tumor, time stood still. It was in that moment that I realized, what am I doing with my life? How am I spending my day? What are you guys doing? Every day, what are you doing, because time is all we have. That's it. At the end of our life, that time goes by so fast, and all of a sudden, I don't want you guys to have to wait until someone's dying or sick, to have to recognize that time, how we spend our time matters, and each moment matters, and that is the second. The second thing that I've really opened up my eyes to, which is to appreciate the moment. I've talked about this before, but I've never really understood what being present means until your best friend is sick right in front of you. Now, I hold his hand, and I look in his eyes, and I'm present in the moment, more so than I've ever been in my life, and it has transformed the way I live my life. In just these two weeks, I'm more aware, I hear the birds, I see people, I really see people, and I listen more intently than I have ever before. And when I'm with my furry fella, when I'm with my dog, I can see his soul now, and every moment feels like a lifetime, because I'm present in that moment. Right now, this moment is all we have, yesterday's gone, and tomorrow, it's not here yet. Soon tomorrow will be the present, and that is exactly what the present moment is, it's a gift to all of us. And the third thing that I've really, really recognized with this experience with Tucker is that we must love more. I have talked about this so much, but I have so opened my heart through this process, and I now celebrate love and life on a grand scale, because my dog has shown me what it means to just take down that barrier, that we all have above, that we all build up, because we've been hurt in the past. We've been the things we wanted, they didn't work out as well. We're not as successful as we thought we should be, we're not where we thought we should be. It doesn't matter what matters is love, and that we're choosing loving thoughts, and that we're in the moment, and being present with love and compassion. Yesterday I went to the doctor, yesterday I found out the situation and the gravity of what the results were, and I went in there, and I sat down, and the doctor was been in the business for 40 years, he pioneered this surgery, he said, "I have never seen this in my life, this does not align with any results, but your dog does not have a cancer." And I truly believe that all of the love and prayers that I have sent out, and my people all around the world have come together, and I believe that by being present, and by truly opening my heart, and by recognizing that time matters, I've witnessed a miracle, and my dog's still here. And if all of us can do this, we can be more present, and appreciate the moment, and love more, miracles will happen every day for us. Toastmaster. [applause] Thank you.