My Soul Mate is a dog

What is a soul mate?  According to the romantics of our time, we all have a soul mate walking the earth.  If we're lucky enough to find each other, life will be complete and we'll live happily ever after.  We'll never feel lonely again.

What bullshit.

I used to believe in this idealized version of a soul mate.  I believed that I met him many years ago and that he slipped through my fingers.  I spent too many years mourning the loss of this person and making my every day life feel empty and cold.  What it did was make me place less value on myself and the man I had chosen to spend my life with.  It caused me to feel discontent in my marriage.  It placed strain on many years of lives together, strain that was unnecessary.


I don't believe that we need a soul mate to complete us.  To think that implies that we are less than whole by ourselves. I don't agree with that. We don't need anyone else to complete us.  We already are.  What we're really looking for is someone to enrich our lives and make it stronger and happier than it already is.  In my life, that role is played by many different characters, not all of them human.

My first soul mate is my husband.  He didn't enter my life 27 years ago in that role. No, he's earned it through the years and the many ups and downs that we've had. In the past year, he and I have overcome several tragedies together, and we are stronger than ever. It seems like we finally fit together and I can't imagine my life without him.  We are each other's rock.  We balance each other out and take turns being strong for each other.  We laugh together and we cry together.  Life experiences have made us soul mates and I can truly say that I have never felt such a deep, abiding love as I do now for him.  

My next soul mate is a dog.  Sage came into my life as a rescue and she lit up my heart the moment I saw her.  She used to come to work with me and now spends her days at home with me.  She's always with me and you'll never see her out of my sight.  Sage is a very calm dog who asks for nothing more than my love.  During a time in my life when I had nothing else, she let me see that loving someone was a simple thing.  During days when my life was complete chaos, she kept me grounded by taking care of her.  She loves me, unconditionally, and only wants to be with me.  How could I not feel enriched by this kind of love?  All my dogs mean the world to me, but I have to admit that Sage is special.

I have other soul mates.  One, a friend, has been there with me through many junctures. She's understood me and stood by me when others didn't.  When some people ridiculed my dream, she rolled up her sleeves and helped me build it.  When it was time to let it go and find another dream, she helped me search.  She always has a willing ear, a loving heart and strong arms to hold me up when I need it.  She always ready for an adventure and laughter.  She also there for the tears.  She taught me the meaning of being humble, as well as compassion.  She is my soul sister.

There are people who enter our lives at a certain point as if they were meant to be there.  One such person is my therapist/life coach/cheerleader.  She's helped me overcome countless traumas and helped me get on my feet again.  She's taught me that life is a series of journeys, and I haven't ended my journeys - I'm about to embark on a new one.  She's helped me to learn how to truly live each day and not regret the past. She's helped me to become happy.

So there you have it.  I have more soul mates, who play different roles in my life, but these are the primary players. Together, they haven't fulfilled my life.  Only I can do that. But they have made the tapestry of my life richer with their threads of love. Together, we've created a masterpiece.  

How many soul mates do you have?