Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great holiday season and spent time with family and friends and maybe received a few gifts. To be honest, I got one gift I would like Tom to return. You have heard me inform you before I am not a fan of dressing up your pet. Well, Tom really did it this time his friend Kim who is like my adopted mom in my life (she's my favorite woman friend) got me a Tutu. Yep, a Tutu. Completely embarrassing, but I wore it for them on Christmas to make them happy and to fulfill their holiday dreams.

It seems to me everyone is always so gung-ho about their New Years resolutions and are energized to "make a change," but after the second week of January they begin to loose their Gusto. I have watched Tom detox, work out for an additional three hours a day. I have sat beside him as he tried to meditate or go to bed earlier. Everyone tries to be a better person everyday and a new year is a great time to restructure and reengage with our needs and our hopes. It is a great time to remember we all deserve some self-care.

I think we, as dogs have self-care figured out and humans could learn from us. Here is my list from a dog's point of view of the simple things you can do to make a better 2019.

1. Always be happy to see the person you love when they come home or enter a room
2. Take walks with someone you love and stop to smell the bushes
3. Play
4. Allow others to love you and give you love to you, even if it means sitting on their lap
5. Watch your food portions and be sure to have snacks several times a day
6. Take naps
7. Exercise with friends
8. If someone is mad at you or they made a mistake, forgive them and move on
9. Don't be afraid to meet new people or dogs
10. Offer love when someone needs it

These are the 10 things I live by and I hope they help you begin your journey to your better self in 2019!

Happy New Year
Hazel