Around seventh grade my home situation became volatile and chaotic. Stress is a gate keeper for learning. With undiagnosed ADHD, I went from the label of “gifted and talented” to the labels “low performing and oppositional” seemingly overnight. I was often hyper or hypo focused, truly didn’t understand or hear, had social challenges, and learned to trust that my voice didn’t matter.

My dog has been one of the great teachers in my life. She resides in the present moment, she is courageous, loyal, and loving. Through our 15 years together, these traits have sometimes ebbed and flowed for me; while she has never faltered. I have come to understand her character with one simple word: humility. Subsequently, I began to look at those times when my actions and attitudes fall short of my values. One trait was most evident in each of these situations; I had allowed my ego to be in control. With Lily as my role model, I began to practice mindfulness and to see beauty in the humility of others around me. Observing people practicing humility, I realized that I had never met a truly humble person who was unhappy. Difficult thoughts and feelings come and go, and the practice of applied humility allows us to “unhook” from these experiences, maintain contact with the present moment, and choose actions that are committed to, and consistent with our values. A wonderful example of applied humility is using my “noticing brain” (rather than my thinking brain which is often playing like a radio in the background most of the time) to observe when I am judging or choosing to be critical. At these times I simply ask myself, “Is it possible that the exact opposite of what I believe to be true, is also a truth?” The answer has always been, “Yes, it is quite possible.” I am grateful and fortunate that Lily has been my teacher all of these years.