News about local crimes and violence, terrorism, and scandals fill our ears and inner souls on a daily basis, many times minute by minute. No wonder we as a people are stressed beyond belief. The more these negative stories consume our lives they close out the space for stories and thoughts of peace and tranquility.
Even when one sits down to relax and turn on the television; there are countless dramas, sitcoms and news programs about deceit and evil in the world. Having been in law enforcement for twenty plus years, I enjoy police dramas as much as anyone and perhaps more: Law and Order, Special Victims’ Unit; Blue Bloods; and The Rookies. These are all favorites of mine. And, one can’t forget the police shows I grew up with from childhood into adulthood (which probably formed my desire to enter the law enforcement field): Adam 12; Dragnet; S.W.A.T.; Hill Street Blues; NYPD; COPS; and Reno 9-1-1. Well ok, the last one wasn’t a drama nor about true police work. However, I had to mention it because it was a hilarious spoof show.
I put a lot of miles on my car driving between client appointments and to visit family and friends. I enjoy listening to the radio to pass the time away. However, many talk shows are discussing “news worthy†sex scandals and corruption. And, many of the music stations aren’t any better when one really listens to the words of the song. It doesn’t matter if one listens to Hip Hop, Rock, Country or Easy Listening (all are favorites of mine). They all often contain references to violence, sex, infidelity, or someone just hard on their luck.
So lately, I have reduced the number of police dramas that I watch, I’ve elected to stop listening to news programs (it’s inevitably that I’ll still get news flashes about the “important†stories from other daily news media), listen to CD books in the car rather than radio programs and while at home opt to listen to relaxing music: piano solos and music that could be used for meditation and spa facilities. I have found that I am much more peaceful and relaxed. And, just as importantly, I have found my dogs to be more relaxed as well.
They not only appear to be more relaxed but they also pant and bark less and they fall asleep sooner than when I listened to all that other noise that is difficult to escape from unless you make a conscious effort to do so. While I’m home, such as now as I type this blog post, calm soothing music is playing in the background and the dogs are sleeping at my feet. Life is good. It’s so peaceful that I now leave the music playing for the dogs in my absence too.
Now I won’t go so far to say that my dogs and those who come to me for board and train dog training programs, are making requests over one CD or the other. That would be silly. LOL But I do see the result in their calmer behavior even if it’s only because I’m less stressed, so they’re less stressed. Give it a try, reduce the noise in your dog’s life and open up space in your life for relaxation and tranquility. Namaste.