Photo: Amazon
Over the past few years, I have noticed that more dog owners are not cleaning up after their pets. This observation has been a result of many dog walks. What is really at the heart of the matter at hand? What do I mean by the last question? Why am I even writing about this matter?
Let's me state the obvious at the outset, I have no control over whether anyone else cleans up after their pets (i.e., poop). But I have control over what I focus on while walking around the city. Which is directly related to my stress and anxiety. What? Related to stress and anxiety?
A Few People Leave Dog Poop For Us All
I walk to work most days of the week, so I see the same landscape daily. With that benefit, I also see people leaving their pets' waste lying around. Why does this matter to me? What confounds me is that there are signs like the one shown below scattered around the landscape to warn residents.
One would think that the sign would make a difference. Nope. But again, what is really going on here? Why am I worried about people not picking up after their pets? I am really not concerned with pet waste. No, I do not want to step in it. But that is a slight worry while walking each day.
Stress and Anxiety...is at Work!
I decided to walk to work and focus on the beautiful flowers planted along the way. Whenever I focus on pet waste, I would immediately direct my attention to flowers. Flowers are beautiful. How did that work out? Amazingly enough, the process has started to work out quite well. I do not have control over the flowers that are planted, either, but I can appreciate their beauty.
Further, I have noticed that the underlying problem is not the pet waste, but my anxiety. When I am more anxious, I tend to focus on the negative aspects of life. Which is common. This was a revelation for me. And when I started to gradually work on the process of refocusing my thoughts, I started to feel better overall.
Conclusion...
This post was short but essential for me. I have really started directing my attention toward each landscape's beautiful aspects and not focusing on negative observations. As a result, my overall stress has begun to diminish. I no longer focus on dog poop. I look for flowers!
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