So I've been at the beach this week and here's the routine Three times a day. I end up walking over the sand dunes to visit the beach, Morning coffee with the ocean, an afternoon visit and then back again in the evening to, you know, kind of say goodnight. And here's where it gets interesting, Because while I am practically jogging up the dunes ready to see the ocean Scooter, my dog is stopping, Sniffing, exploring every single thing. Now, on one hand, I know this is exactly what dogs are meant to do. Their nose is how they experience the world, and that little stretch of dune grass probably tells him who else has been there, what time of day, maybe even what they had for breakfast For him. That's the point of the walk.

But here's the honest part. I found myself getting impatient. I want to see the waves, I want to hear the surf, feel that ocean air, and so it's a good reminder for me that patience is part of life. When you have a dog, Sometimes I need to slow down and let him do his thing, but at the same time, it's okay that I have my own goals on these walks as well.

There's nothing wrong with telling my dog hey, buddy, we're not going to sniff every blade of grass. Right now let's keep moving, Because not every outing has to be 100% about him. I make sure he gets two to three scooter walks a day when we're out at the park or exploring trails, where it really is all about him and he can sniff to his heart's content. So at the beach it becomes more about balance A few minutes to let him gather his news and then moving forward so I can enjoy what I came for. And once we're finally sitting in the sand together, he gets to practice just being there with me Calm, relaxed part of the moment, and that's kind of the beauty of it. All Dogs teach us to slow down, but they can also learn to share our pace, and somewhere between his nose and my ocean view, we both get what we came for.