Guestblog: My Idea of Dreampack by Daal

As I get older, I realize more and more that the natural needs of dogs actually don’t differ much from our natural needs. As well as dogs we feel better as part of a committed family; no matter the family relation, or how big your family is. Healthy food and drinks are just as important to our health. A roof over our head, enough exercise, structure, clear guidelines …

A Dreampack doesn’t have to include dogs. A person living on his own can also live and create a Dreampack. I strongly believe all living creatures on this globe deserve a Dreampack.
Since we are all unique, our Dreampacks will also be unique. I’ve asked a few writers to share their thoughts regarding what (a) Dreampack means to them.

Enjoy this guest-blog of the beautiful soul Daal from Happiness between tails:

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Patty, thanks for asking me to write about my idea of a Dreampack. I absolutely love your coming up with it, as it gives me an opportunity to think about what is, as well as what I want to create.

To my mind, a Dreampack has to do with home. A home for my soul, where I feel loved and accepted as I am. Just as important, it’s where I feel the same for those around me. All of us in our shared Dreampack do our imperfect best to understand each other by listening to one another with our hearts as well as our ears.

Like yours, my Dreampack respects mother nature. It consistently strives to act with compassion, even when that means taking the more difficult route.

Owning dogs is the perfect metaphor for how I wish to treat others and for how I hope my loved ones will treat me. It’s easy to win my dogs’ affection with an overabundance of treats, but it’s not healthy for them. In that same way, I need people to help me be my best by encouraging me to do things which may be difficult. Only those who don’t genuinely have my best interests in mind encourage me to eat poorly, be lazy, think negatively, and not advance myself.

The individuals within my Dreampack don’t agree on everything, but our values are the same: to help each other to be our best: intellectually, spiritually, and physically.

Caring, wisdom, knowledge — certainly none of us is perfect — but in my Dreampack, we try. We apologize when we’re wrong. We respect each other’s wants and needs, plus our own. We stay curious. We embrace learning. We’re open-minded. We seek change when improved options come our way.

The animals in my Dreampack deserve the best care, as do all creatures. Most of all, though, we owe it to the ones who devote their lives to us, whether as food, workers, or companions. I hate seeing any kind of food wasted. The most tragic is meat.

It lifts my heart to know that what benefits my Dreampack benefits me, and vs. versa. If they are happy and sound, I am the better for it. If I am happy and sound, they are the better for it.

For instance, walking my dogs makes all of us clear-eyed and limber. Setting consistent boundaries within myself becomes the perfect way to socialize them. Being kind to myself makes me more patient with them. Feeding them well makes me want to feed myself better. Steering clear of toxins benefits even people who visit us. Playing makes us all laugh. It doesn’t take an animal psychologist to see head-to-tail joy when we run through warm rain and roll around on fresh grass. Everything that reinforces harmony results in happiness for all.

Even the things that seemed prohibitive to owning dogs have turned out beneficial. Before I adopted them, I worried that I wouldn’t have enough time to spend with them. Now I find their welcoming spirits make me want to come home all the more. If I need to go somewhere for any length of time, they compel me to reach out to others. Their kindness makes me optimistic. With them, I never feel alone.

Above all else, in my Dreampack we have fun!

It makes me smile as I type this. Thank you, Patty, for showing me the absolute wonderfulness of Dreampacks!