walk in love

Dingo Love: Considerate

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Love is Considerate

Love is Considerate,

Love is Considerate,

Once upon a time, while The Dingo was planning his lunch, he realized he was out of bread and a couple of other things around the kitchen. So he decided to make a quick trip to the grocery store.

As he pulled into the hectic parking lot, The Dingo couldn’t believe how busy it was! He circled and circled around for a parking space and he finally found one at the far end of the lot. He made his way to the front door and he noticed a guy who had just finished unloading his groceries into the back of his car. The same guy started walking the cart all the way back to the store, but The Dingo decided to help him out and offered to take the cart for him. “You are so considerate, thank you!,” said the guy as he handed over the cart to The Dingo. The Dingo just smiled and made his way towards the store pushing the cart in front of him.

He walked into the supermarket and parked the grocery cart into the appropriate area and grabbed a small shopping basket instead. As he made his way to the produce section he noticed an employee restocking the oranges and before he knew it, a few oranges had tumbled off of the shelf and began rolling down the produce section. As the employee frantically chased after the oranges, The Dingo jumped into action and helped him catch the remaining ones. “That was so considerate of you, thank you for helping me catch the run away oranges!,” the employee said to The Dingo. The Dingo smiled, placed the oranges on the shelf and continued shopping.

After grabbing the few items he needed, The Dingo made his way to the check out line and to his pleasant surprise a register lane had just opened with no lines and no waiting. As he walked over to the open lane, another customer with a full cart of groceries and a little guy in tow was making her way to the same register lane as well. She really seemed to have her hands full and even though The Dingo was first to the lane, he stepped back and offered her his place in the front of the line. “You are so kind and considerate, thank you!,” she said. The Dingo smiled and waited patiently for his turn.

On the drive home, he reflected and thought back to how many people called him “considerate” during his trip to the store. He thought about that word and as soon as he walked into his front door, he decided to look it up in the Merriam-Webster dictionary and this is what he found:

1:  marked by or given to careful consideration :  circumspect
2:  thoughtful of the rights and feelings of othersHe reflected on this definition and smiled. He enjoyed being thoughtful and knew deep down that thinking about the rights and feelings of others is a great way to walk in love. It’s very easy to go through life only thinking about our own needs and desires and we often complain about things that are an inconvenience to us e.g., the far away parking spot, the runaway oranges getting in our way, the long check out lines, etc. , but we rarely stop to acknowledge that there are other people around us dealing with the same issues. So we can either complain or follow the golden rule whenever we can: treat others as you’d want to be treated.
The Dingo chooses to walk in love and in the process, he hopes to inspire others to do the same.

Walk in Love.

Y.C.Lozano ©2014

The Dingo Walks in Love is a project that teaches lesson in love with the power of art, social media, books, pubic art, & random acts of kindness.

Dingo Love: Self-Love

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Love is Practicing Self-Love

Self Love WATERMARK

To purchase a print of this image, click the pic to visit my Fine Art America store.

Once upon a time The Dingo noticed he wasn’t really himself anymore. He started to feel worn down, exhausted and just plain tapped out. He was still exercising & eating right, but something was definitely off. “Maybe I’m coming down with a cold,” thought The Dingo, “I better make an appointment with Dr. Bear, just to be sure.”

With his appointment made and hope in his heart for a speedy recovery, The Dingo made his way out the door and to the doctor’s office.

“Well hello there Dingo! What brings you in today?” asked Dr. Bear as he walked into the exam room. The Dingo went on to explain his strange symptoms as Dr. Bear listened intently.

After a full check up, Dr. Bear couldn’t find anything physically wrong with The Dingo. No fever. No infection. Not even a sniffle, but he could tell that something was bothering his patient. After all, The Dingo was very well known around town. His purpose to walk in love was talked about all the time and word spread quickly about how giving and thoughtful he was. It was rare to see him not smiling or full of life as a result of his actions.

Dr. Bear had a gut feeling about what could be wrong with The Dingo, so he asked him, “When was the last time you walked in love towards yourself?”

The Dingo was confused by the question and asked “What do you mean?”

“Well,” said Dr. Bear, “as important as it is to walk in love towards others, it’s equally important to walk in love towards yourself. If you are always giving of yourself, but never taking the time to refill yourself with the same energy and love you show others, you eventually start running on empty.” Dr. Bear went on to tell The Dingo about a renowned psychologist & social philosopher named Erich Fromm that said that loving oneself was important in order to love others properly. It’s called self-love.

Dr. Bear went ahead & wrote his patient a prescription for a day of rest and relaxation which was to be taken as needed.

It never dawned on The Dingo that part of his purpose to walk in love towards others meant that he had to also purpose to walk in love towards himself. Having this realization made The Dingo start feeling better almost immediately.

As The Dingo gathered his things and thanked Dr. Bear for his help, he couldn’t help but walk away with a skip in his step and a smile on his face as he made plans for a day of rest and relaxation. Per doctor’s orders, of course.

Walk in Love.

Y.C.Lozano ©2014

The Dingo Walks in Love is a project that teaches lesson in love with the power of art, social media, books, pubic art, & random acts of kindness.

 

 

Dingo Love: Caring About the Environment

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To purchase a print of Love is Environmentally Aware, check out my Fine Art America Store by clicking on the pic above.

To purchase a print of Love is Environmentally Aware, check out my Fine Art America Store by clicking on the pic above.

Love is Caring About the Environment

Once upon, a time The Dingo decided to go on an adventure. It was a cool brisk morning, he put on his favorite hoodie, packed a few snacks and headed out the door to the woods near his home.

As a young lad, he loved to explore the great outdoors. He could often be found quietly observing the wildlife, making sure not to disturb or disrupt the environment around him, and best of all, just taking in all the beauty. As he got a bit older, life got busier and busier and he spent less and less time in nature. Today, he purposed to go outside and enjoy the great outdoors!

As he made his way towards the woods. From far away he could see a big section of trees that had been cut down from the forest. In their place was a new strip mall. It was sad to think of how many beautiful trees were gone now because of this new development. This was not an uncommon theme in his town, and as the years passed by, it only seemed to be getting worse.

Now in the woods, The Dingo noticed quite a bit of litter on the ground: glass bottles, fast food containers, cigarette butts, plastic soda can rings… There was so much trash everywhere!

What happened to the beautiful pristine utopia of his childhood? Why did it get this bad? How did it get this bad?

The Dingo had always been sensitive to the fine balance of nature. From the water in our oceans to the air in the sky, from the creepy crawly insects in the dirt to the birds that fly high, everything mattered and had it’s purpose. He knew how important it was to recycle, reuse and reduce as best as he could or knew how. After all, there really is no such thing as an unlimited resource and when resources start running out, prices go up and when prices go up those that suffer the most are generally the least fortunate of us. The Dingo realized right then and there that something had to change and change soon.

As a self proclaimed tree-hugger and friend to all woodland creatures, The Dingo went home & found the definition of the word “environment” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

  • 1 :  the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded
  • 2 : a) the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (as climate, soil, and living things) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival: b) the aggregate of social and cultural conditions that influence the life of an individual or community

According to this definition, our environment is complex, we are all interconnected and what happens upstream affects those living downstream and everything and everyone in between. The Dingo knew it was time to empower the masses with the knowledge & resources to live cleaner and greener. It’s true that exploiting our natural resources can definitely help make a few people rich, but a clean, safe & thriving environment is priceless because it benefits everyone who lives in it.

The Dingo began his crusade by doing some pretty extensive research on several environmental subjects including climate change, littering, recycling, land fills, deforestation, and energy conservation, just to name a few; he wrote letters to his elected officials regarding the disappearance & neglect of the natural environment in his region and he got some of his close friends & neighbors to do the same; he arranged river & highway cleanup days with kids from local schools; and he even went as far as committing to participating in Meatless Mondays.

The Dingo smiled as the warm and fuzzy feeling of love overcame him. He knew that being environmentally aware not only impacted his neighbor next door but it also impacted his neighbors all the way on the other side of the globe and that was pretty awesome in his book.

Walk in Love.
Y.C.Lozano ©2014

The Dingo Walks in Love is a project that teaches lesson in love with the power of art, social media, books, pubic art, & random acts of kindness.

Dingo Love: Community

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Love is Community prints are now available through my Fine Art America Store

Love is Community prints are now available through my Fine Art America Store. Click the pic for details.

Love is Community

Once upon a time The Dingo was sorting through his mail and he came across a letter that was delivered to the wrong address. It was meant to go to his neighbor who lived just a few houses down. Her name was Ms. Jade, a kind elderly lady who lived alone.

The Dingo would often pass by her house during his morning walks. He remembered thinking how she had one of the nicest houses on the block. It was always tidy, the lawn and garden were well kept, and she would often be found enjoying the afternoon breeze from her rocking chair on the front porch. Recently though, The Dingo had noticed the sparkle in her house had vanished: the grass was overgrown, the garden looked lifeless, and Ms. Jade didn’t seem to be spending much time outside anymore.

As The Dingo approached the neighbor’s house he looked around and noticed the paint was peeling off the walls and the windows needed a good cleaning. He rang the doorbell and Ms. Jade answered, “It’s so nice to see you Dingo! What brings you by?” The Dingo explained the postal mix up and handed his neighbor the letter. With a smile she thanked him and offered to bring out some sweet tea for them to enjoy on the front porch. The Dingo accepted the invitation graciously.

Concerned for Ms. Jade, he asked her if everything was okay. She explained that all was well, but about 6 months ago she got laid off from her part-time job at the library because of city budget cuts, so times were tight. She used to be able to pay a young man down the street to help her with various chores around the house that were too difficult for her to do alone, like mowing the lawn, cleaning the windows, and other random odds & ends. With some recent health issues that she was just now overcoming, she found herself having to prioritize her savings to go towards the medical costs first. Hopefully, after she found another job, she would be able to pay for some hired help to get her house sparkling again.

The Dingo felt bad for Ms. Jade. He didn’t exactly have a green thumb or any house painting supplies, but he could certainly help her with something. So he offered to clean her windows. She was delighted and thanked him profusely.

As he walked back home to get a change of clothes and some cleaning supplies, he thought about how he could further help Ms. Jade with the many things that needed to be done around her house. If he tried to tackle the various tasks alone it would take forever but, then he remembered a quote that he saw the other day: “Many hands make light work.”*. “THAT’S IT!” The Dingo shouted, “I’ll reach out to my community and ask for help! Together we’ll get Ms. Jade back to her old self in no time!”

But first, he decided to look up the word “community” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary and this is what he found:

  • : a group of people who live in the same area (such as a city, town, or neighborhood)
  • : a group of people who have the same interests, religion, race, etc.
  • : a group of nations

From the definition, he figured out that his community could include anyone and everyone. Well, in this particular situation, anyone and everyone was going to consist of those neighbors, friends & family that were willing to help. He quickly found someone who would help paint Ms. Jade’s house, another who would cut her lawn and get her garden growing again, and he also got little Max to commit to helping her with other random odds and ends. The Dingo even contacted his friend, a local bookstore owner, and found out that they were looking for part-time help.

With a smile on his face, The Dingo went back to Ms. Jade’s and broke the good news to her. He explained how several people were going to help make her house sparkle again in no time; he also informed her how himself & little Max were going to come over once a week to help with random odds & ends; and then he gave her the bookstore owner’s name & phone number and told her that he was expecting her call for a possible job offer.

Ms. Jade was moved with emotion as her eyes welled up with tears thinking of the love that she was witnessing. She knew without the help of many, without The Dingo’s big heart and quick action, and without the kindness and generosity of strangers, she couldn’t of done it herself.

As The Dingo washed the windows, he was thankful that he was in a position to help Ms. Jade. He knew that walking in love was a full time job and if we all stopped for just a moment and looked around us, we could always find opportunities to be a blessing in someone’s life. Today, he was able to be a blessing to Ms. Jade.

 

Walk in Love.
Y.C.Lozano ©2014
*Quote from : John Heywood

The Dingo Walks in Love is a project that teaches lesson in love with the power of art, social media, books, pubic art, & random acts of kindness.