I Do the Dog Park...What Do You Do?

Time for some mental pampering! I sew. Writer Kim DuBois does the dog park...what do you do?

I love Cosmo dog park.


I discovered this unexpected treasure a couple years ago, and have found myself drawn to return time and time again.

Because it feels good to be here. There is something to be said for the emotional honesty of the dogs as they run and play. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen a purer joy than that of a dog flying off the short landing and splashing belly first into the water to retrieve a beloved tennis ball. There are big dogs and little dogs. Yapping puppies and older sensitive fellows. Dogs that run with long galloping strides and those whose legs become a blur as they attempt to keep up. They run around chasing balls, catching Frisbee’s, climbing concrete steps and jumping over short walls - you name it, it’s goes on here, and all of them are having a blast.

Seeing it makes me smile, and smiling feels good. These days smiling comes more easily for me, but that hasn’t always been the case. And yet even when things were pretty rough, I’d leave the park feeling better than when I’d arrived. From the soft breeze and smell of the dirt, to the splashing of the water or the feel of the bench beneath me, the entire experience is one that fills me with a blessed sense of peace and calm. I can feel it as soon as I pull in the drive, and the smile on my face feels permanent, no matter how long I sit and watch.

And that’s what I love about it, how it makes me feel. There are so many things in life that try to drag us down and defeat us, but this… this helps wash it all away. Here I can just ‘be’. I can clear my mind of all the cluttering thoughts that threaten my sanity and just exist in the uplifting energy of the animals around me.

As I sit here tonight watching a young black lab romping along the edge of the water, experiencing what looks to me to be total bliss, I can’t help but laugh out loud. I can feel his joy! And that sort of pure, unadulterated, uninhibited ecstasy doesn’t come along often, so I soak it up any chance I get.

I hope each of you can find your own dog park. A place where you can let go… where there are no worries, no anxieties, no burdens, no responsibilities or pain. A place where you can just sit and fill up on an honest, positive, elevating and healing energy. It is truly magnificent.

I’ve visited Cosmo 3 times in as many days.

And I don’t even have a dog.

(For more information on Cosmo dog part, visit Gilbert parks and rec at http://www.ci.gilbert.az.us/parks/popups/cosmo-park.cfm )

As always, it is my goal to uplift, inspire and help others to heal their lives. Thank you for allowing me to be part of this with you. - Kim