The Surprise Lesson This Puppy Gave Me About My Life Purpose

Love at first sight
I wasn’t looking for her.

I was riding my beach cruiser along the ocean boardwalk on a lazy Sunday when I saw her in a wagon next to a sign announcing puppies for adoption.

It was a litter of pugs; a breed I had never thought much about before. At first I lingered on my bike, gazing at the puppies with curiosity. I was on a hunt for new bikinis that day, and was not about to be easily derailed from my quest.

But then one in particular caught my eye. It was the littlest puppy in the wagon. I have a tender heart for the runt and I couldn’t resist saying hello.

As I picked her up, she immediately clung to me, burying that adorable face in my long hair and attaching one paw firmly upon my hoodie. She held onto me like she never wanted to leave my arms.

I was done for.

I coddled her and cooed about how she was my little princess (which would be a problem since my house only holds ONE princess and that would be me), but for that moment, she was the most important thing in my world.

All I wanted to do was love her, love her — and then love her even more.

I let myself completely fall in love with this little puppy and for fifteen minutes I held her, adored her and smothered her with cuddles and kisses and murmurs of how precious she was.

My mind spun through fantasies of caring for her, loving her, providing a home and lifestyle for her that would elevate her to being the 2023 Most Cherished Dog in southern California.

And then I heard the woman selling the puppies say, “$1100” as a man asked how much for the dogs. And reality hit me.

I was there on a bike with nothing more than a backpack and four dollars in my wallet. I knew nothing about the breed, or the woman selling the puppies — were they bred ethically? In good health? I had no idea.

I wasn’t about to make an $1100 impulse buy for a dog I’d have to stuff in a backpack to ride 4 miles back to my car.

And so I said goodbye.

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That sticky feeling

I didn’t look back once she was back in her wagon with the other puppies. I got on my bike and tried to forget her — it just wasn’t going to be and I had to let that go.

But one thing kept sticking… and it was that feeling of loving something… of caring for someone.

It has been a long time since I have had something — or more accurately — someone, to love and care for.

And I couldn’t quite get over that realization. It made my heart pound.

Yes, I love things… I love the new dress I just bought. I love country dancing and tango. I love the song Lion, salted macadamia nuts and ruffles.

But to have a being that you love… something that reacts to the way you love it… now, THAT is something magical.

And it’s something that’s missing for me right now.

As I peddled fast and hard down that boardwalk, against the growing wind, I found myself facing a brutal truth.

My life purpose might be simpler than I thought.

What if my purpose is to love?

To love and care for something other than myself?

I always thought my purpose would be found somewhere in the process of becoming the best version of myself. Sure, there are days that it feels great to write stories I am deeply proud of, or to have a night of dancing where I feel on top of the world or to feel grateful for what I’ve accomplished on my own as a single woman, but…

Maybe I’ve forgotten what it’s like to nurture and nourish the soul of another living creature.

It can be great being single — for a while. But when I got very honest with myself, I realized that as a woman, I am designed to be with a partner.

I am designed to love and care for someone else.

Something greater than a home or a garden or a collection of fantastic dresses.

Maybe that’s not true for you, but it is true for me.

And I suspect it’s true for a lot of people… even with some who won’t quite admit it. We can deny it for a while, we can even squash it for a decade, but our natural desire to love, care for and bond with another person in a manner that transcends friendship will eventually tug at us.

And that tug might just come from the paw of a puppy.

…

The reason

Maybe I met that puppy for a reason — and it had nothing to do with adopting it.

Those 15 minutes with her were enough to remind me of what really matters in my life, why I am on this earth and what I need to be doing with my remaining years.

I still believe that I am here to be the best version of myself. But now I know that path requires me to seek out those who I can love and care for and help elevate during our time here on this planet.

Maybe that will include a puppy. But I hope it’s more than that. ❤

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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