The 5 Things I’ve Learnt from Rocky
Before you read any further, these aren’t life lessons from a fictional character. Nay, I ain’t talking about Rocky Balboa. I’m talking about Rocky the Pomsky a.k.a. Pomeranian-Husky a.k.a. a dog.
- Love is unconditional, patient and kind
I’ll admit I’ve been a little harsh on Rocky when he peed on the couch, the bed and most of my favourite carpets but Rocky being Rocky only gulped twice, sat in a corner for 10 minutes and then came back to me, tail-wagging in all of its glory. Almost every dog is this way but us humans, unfortunately, are not. If we truly love someone, shouldn’t we be able to forgive them quickly, instead of being resentful? When you look at your loved ones, or even yourself, and judge them harshly for something, think about Rocky and how he would’ve forgiven them / yourself almost instantly. You’ll find yourself doing the better thing — and you’ll be happier for it! After all, life is too short to hold grudges.
2. A Little Sass Goes a Long Way
I’ve had several family dogs throughout my life, but NONE — I repeat — NONE have had the sass and attitude that Rocky does. My first thought was, damn these small dogs can be so sassy. I absolutely loathed him for that and pegged myself as a big dog lover instantly. Worry not, I safely call myself a proper dog lover again now because I finally get it. All that attitude, wrapped in a tiny ball of fur is absolutely necessary. You see us “underdogs” i.e. females, short people, poor people, minorities etc. will never get the recognition that we deserve if we were completely bland and devoid of sass. Let me put that into perspective. You, a minority, walk into a a group of white-collared, white men having a corporate meeting. Being the minority that you are, you decide to play it safe and sit at the corner of the room and listen to these men drone on and on about a topic, getting nowhere. You have the right idea that will bring this discussion to and end quickly but you don’t bring it up because you don’t want to get yourself noticed. Wrong move — do what Rocky would do. Grow a pair and tell them about these colourful ideas you have. You’d make the world a better place. You just don’t know it yet but Rocky does — that’s how he get’s his milk every morning!
3. You Don’t Need Words to Form a Bond
Rocky and I have known each other for a while now, but between the two of us, we’ve never exchanged a single word. In your eyes, it makes sense because how can a dog and a human ever communicate. However, Rocky and I are always in perfect sync despite never uttering a word to each other. Whenever I get home, I see his smiley face and helicopter tail-wags and I just know that he’s overjoyed to see me after a long day. When he’s moody, I can just sense it because he’d sit in a corner by himself staring out the window. Rocky and I are in sync like that and I’d like to think we’ve formed a strong bond over time.
Where I’m taking you with this is, you don’t need to speak all day to be close to someone. Words are great, but the connections you form go deeper than words. I rarely spoke to my grandad, but the day he passed away I broke down in agony. It made me realise, human connections and the love we have between us is simply not formed because someone is funny or extroverted. We may even form the most genuine connections with those we barely speak to but to whom we’re in sync with. You don’t need to chatter all day long to your boyfriend / girlfriend to make them love you more. If they loved you to begin with, you wouldn’t need to convince them by being funny or loud.
4. What’s So Important to You Right Now May Not Be As Important in a While
I’m 90% certain that Rocky has ADHD. One moment he’d be barking at the door and the next he’d be running around with his favourite dino toy in his little mouth. ADHD or not, he still manages to achieve his main goals for the day, which is to get fed, play fetch and sleep enough. Just like him, if you distract yourself for a couple of minutes and put down that big assignment you’ve been working on to step outside for a bit, you’d still achieve your goals for the day. It may take you a little longer, but it’d be worth it. Also, the dino became more important than the door to Rocky within a few minutes. Just like that, the “door” in your life will be deprioritised for a “dino”. Perhaps not in a few minutes, but it will be deprioritised nonetheless. So, maybe balance out the heavy stuff with some of the lighter ones so you can live a fulfilled life, again, just like Rocky!
5. Bark, but ONLY When It Matters
Rocky barks A LOT — and I mean SEVERAL TIMES A DAY, SEVERAL DAYS A WEEK. However, I’ve noticed a pattern within these frequent barks. They’re always for a good reason. I know it sounds crazy, but when he’s barking at the door, he thinks he’s doing his duty. When he’s barking at the vaccuum cleaner, he’s trying to tell me that it scares him. He’s always got a reason for these loud noises. To the average person, it sounds super annoying. My aunt, however, had a similar type of dog and she told me that Rocky is just trying to tell me something when he barks. She was absolutely right! Now I console him when he barks at the fireworks rather than chastise him.
If you too, face discomfort in areas of your life, don’t hesitate to BARK out loud. You could be abused, or facing mental health issues. Talk to someone about it. Get the help you need. Someone will understand you, someday. I promise.
I hope you resonated with the lessons I’ve learnt from Rocky and I hope you, if nothing else, you take away some positivity with you at the end of this article. Thanks for reading!