I am a selfish person who does selfless things.

I am a selfish person who does selfless things.

Today, I took my 9 month old Shiba Inu, Riley, for a walk though our neighborhood. The weather was picturesque. It’s Pennsylvania crisp fall air visiting the hearty greenery of mid August flora. Two children, a boy and a girl, around the ages of six and eight were gleefully running around their house. As we approached, the expected “Can I pet your puppy?!” squeal met both my, and my disconcerted puppy’s ears. My puppy stopped dead in her tracks and disappeared quickly behind my legs. I smiled and agreed, against Riley’s (my pup) obvious objection. The children ran over to me, hands extended.  Then for an awkward 2 minutes I spun in circles, untangling our leash, attempting to pick up my puppy’s darting body for easier petting access. Finally, once she had completely flattened herself against the pavement, I was able to scoop her into my arms and allow a few gentle head pats. The satisfied children bounded back to their abandoned bicycle and toys, and I, dog still under my arm, turned for home.

I looked at Riley. She had already forgotten her last few moments of torture and was focused on a squirrel in the distance. We had been warned that Shiba Inus need socialization when they are young, or their breeding can predispose them to become skittish in the company of strangers and other animals. Riley is already queen of our dog park- joyfully immersing herself into the world of dog peers. She is also great with our family and friends; however with limited exposure to children in our current social scene, her apprehension towards these children had me concerned.

Then, I remembered, a woman at our dog park had told me she takes her Yorkshire Terrier to the Children’s Hospital to visit the healing patients. I jumped online and downloaded the application. Riley must be a year old before we are eligible to volunteer. But, I know my dog. She’s non aggressive, and warms up to pretty much anything [including our vacuum- her long standing nemesis] with enough exposure, so she would not be a threat to these kids when we become eligible. So, my mind was made up. We would volunteer for the program.

I already visit the Humane Society at least once a month to donate food and litter- and pet animals.

I try to participate whenever I’m asked to walk or run in several of my friend’s charity events- because it’s enjoyable, good exercise, and usually a social outing.

I pick up litter outside- because I enjoy looking at pretty, natural settings.

I spend a couple extra bucks when food is labeled as locally grown- because it makes me feel better about not contributing to big food co. (I heard there pretty gnarly, in too many ways to disclose in this sentence).

But my point is, depending on how I pitch these activities, I could be a selfless do gooder or a selfish person who does good things.

I’ve decided being selfish as you act selflessly is a lesser evil than having the best intentions yet not taking action. Because, this is the stepping stone to a more enlightened you. Ok, maybe you don’t “get it” [that Euphoric higher understanding of giving back to the world], but most of us have developed a basic moral compass. Naturally, if you practice any activity repetitively you begin to develop a deeper understanding of that activity. Therefore, the practice of doing good begins the journey towards the state of being “good”.  

I’m not a religious gal, but I’ve always appreciated the saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. If that is true, then the road to heaven [in my case defined as enlightenment, bliss, happiness, and fulfillment] must be paved with action.