The Wisdom of Now: Presence, Pets, and the Joy That Leads Us Home

As my overnight animal friends gently reminded me recently—we only have the now.

You can plan and prepare and outline everything just so… but in truth, the only moment we ever truly have is the one unfolding right now.

So don’t worry about tomorrow.

Don’t relive yesterday.

Just let yourself be.

In their sacred book of “All Things Great” written by the hearts of our beloved animals, being present and grateful sits right at the top of the list. Right underneath it? Joy.

Joy is the heart of everything. It’s the pulse of life in their world. And to truly thrive—just as they do—we’re invited to pause and remember what joy means for us, and how we can welcome more of it.

For my joyful pup companion, it’s an unhurried walk around his neighborhood—one where the path unfolds based on time, scent, and whim. For his feline sisters, it’s found in the brush strokes of connection, or in the soft stillness of patio time spent simply being together.

Their joy isn’t performative or conditional.

It’s rooted in moment-to-moment presence.

Their invitation to us is this:

Can you choose awareness before action? Presence before pressure? Love and blessing before busyness?

What if you allowed yourself to receive joy like they do—letting it bubble up from within, unfiltered by timelines or expectations?

Let’s try something simple together. Let’s take a sacred 10 minutes.

Right here. Right now.

Let yourself notice.

What awareness rises in your space?

What do you see, hear, feel, or sense?

For me, in this moment, I notice:

• The birds singing just outside my window

• The hush of silence inside the home

• The distant rhythm of roofing several houses away 

• That one thought that just floated in

• The emotion that surfaced when I named the thought

• The hum of the A/C kicking on

Now breathe.

How many blessings did you just witness?

How many moments held something sacred?

What if you did this again in an hour?

What new beauty would rise to meet you?

Our animal companions don’t waste time asking “why is this happening?”

They don’t resist the unfolding.

They meet the moment with curiosity and trust.

They see the magic in the walk… the nap… the stillness… the shift.

And they show us—gently, lovingly—that we can too.

So today, may you pause.

May you soften.

May you savor the small things.

And may you meet each moment with the kind of joy that makes life whole again.