1st Lap Around the Yard

A 5×5 abstract painting of my pup in honor of her 1st birthday

Editor’s note: This post will continue to evolve as I do.

Welcome all, animal lovers and gentle-hearted souls. Today’s post is one of its kind. And it just so happens to be my pup’s first lap around the moon aka her first birthday.

In honor of her and all other dog lovers out there, I’m doing a special giveaway for her bday. Here’s how to enter:

For Instagram users:

1️⃣ Follow my blog’s Instagram account of @inspire.those.who.inspire.you and my art’s Instagram account of @itwiy.art

2️⃣ Comment “Happy Birthday” or “HBD” under the giveaway post, which will be on @inspire.those.who.inspire.you’s page

For Facebook users:

1️⃣ Follow my blog’s page 👉 Inspire Those Who Inspire You

2️⃣ Comment “Happy Birthday” or “HBD” under the giveaway post

That’s it, super simple!

📆 Giveaway closes: Thursday, October 9th at 12am

🏆 Winner announced: Friday, October 10th

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!

**Open to U.S. residents only

💫 Don’t miss your chance to own something special!

Here are some of my favorite memories of her so far:

Her first trip to a park was a short one. It was the middle of winter and while there wasn’t snow on the ground just yet, it was cold especially to a small puppy like her. At the time, she had this beautiful patterned pink sweater. The only thing was is that it was too big on her but it did keep her warm. Then, as we were on the walk, a train came by. She was not a fan and still isn’t really a fan of how loud they are.

Another fond memory was when she was just a tiny pup and she would climb up or curl up under my head and snuggle in. It’s my favorite and I absolutely melt when she does this.

More recently, one of her new favorite thing is to jump into the car all on her own. Let’s just say she has a really good hop.

Aside from that, she’s learned the following commands: sit, stay, come, wait, stand, paws, shake, and hide-and-seek.

She also has the cutest facial expressions.

Now here are some pictures of her:

This little pup of mine has brought so much love and light into my life, and it means a lot to be able to share a piece of that with you all. And whether you’re here for the giveaway or just love a good pup memory, thanks for being part of this moment with us. If this made you think of your own furry friend, I’d love to hear a memory or something they’ve taught you. Drop it in the comments.

As a signature of my blog, I’d like to end this post with a suggestion to “Pass on kindness.” There’s no time like the present to Inspire Those Who Inspire You. Acts of kindness, no matter how big or small, can have a direct, positive impact on someone else. Go out there today and change someone’s life for the better!

***These are my personal opinions and may not be those of my employer.***

Every story has a storyteller And no matter how honest we try to be, there’s only so much of an experience we can fit into the version we tell someone else Long Story Short, the second chapter of For What It’s Worth, had me thinking about perspective, context, and what happens when complicated experiences have to become much shorter stories Maybe the shorter version can still be true The question is what might fit inside it. 💛 Read “Long Story Short” (now live) | Part II | Week 41 | For What It’s Worth series | • •• ••• •••• ••••• •••• ••• •• • #LongStoryShort #ForWhatItsWorth #Perspective #ContextMatters #PersonalReflection

How much of what we think we know comes from what we’ve actually been told, and how much comes from what we’ve filled in ourselves? Fill in the Blank is the 1st chapter of For What It’s Worth, my new series exploring perspective, understanding and how much we really know about the people and situations around us This one gave me a lot to think about, especially when it comes to space between what we know, what we assume, and what we may never have the answers too Maybe the blanks are worth paying attention to, after all | Part I | For What It’s Worth series | Week 40 | • •• ••• •••• ••••• •••• ••• •• • #FillInTheBlank #ForWhatItsWorth #Perspective #Curiosity #PersonalReflection

And just like that, we’ve reached the final chapter of The Things That Stay Handle With Care closes out a month of looking backward, looking forward, and occasionally realizing the answer might be somewhere in between In keeping this one vague because some things are better discovered along the way To close out the series, I’d love to know: What’s one part of yourself you hope life never changes? 💛 Read Handle With Care is now live Part V | Week 39 | The Things That Stay | • •• ••• •••• ••••• •••• ••• •• • #TheThingsThatStay #HandleWithCare #LifeLessons #PersonalGrowth #StayCurious

Apparently, not every space needs filling 💛 Chapter 4 of The Things That Stay series is Do Not Disturb (now live) This week’s reflection is a little quieter than the others, but sometimes that’s where we notice things we’d would’ve otherwise missed Your challenge today is to give yourself 15 minutes with no place else your attention needs to be. Once you’ve completed, I’m curious, what do you notice (if anything)? • •• ••• •••• ••••• •••• ••• •• • #TheThingsThatStay #DoNotDisturb #QuietMoments #SlowDown #MindfulLiving