What My Therapy Dog Taught Me by Sitting Under a Tree | Retreat to Renewal

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Some of my favorite therapy sessions happen outside.

Across from my Long Beach office is the Colorado Lagoon, and when the weather is nice, some clients and I will walk or sit there instead of meeting indoors. One afternoon, after a session in the park, my dance class had been canceled, so for once I wasn’t in a hurry to get somewhere.

Shanti and I wandered over to one of the trees where two squirrels often play.

Shanti has always loved squirrels. Usually, I let him jump at the tree for a minute, or I practice calling him back, and then we continue our walk.

That afternoon, I decided to see what would happen if I didn’t interrupt him.

I sat down.

Shanti jumped at the tree.

Then he sat and stared up into the branches.

A squirrel moved.

He jumped again.

Then he sat again.

That became our afternoon.

For nearly two hours.

After about an hour, my husband came over to see what had captured our attention for so long. He sat down beside us.

The squirrels stayed.

Shanti stayed.

We stayed.

As the afternoon passed, the light slowly changed. The bright sun softened into the warm colors of early evening. The breeze cooled. Without really noticing it, we had watched the afternoon turn into dusk.

Then something happened that still makes me smile.

The two squirrels started coming down the tree at almost the same time, each from a different direction.

Shanti looked left.

Then right.

Then left again.

For maybe the first time in his young life, he couldn’t decide which squirrel to watch.

He just froze.

The squirrels froze too.

For a few quiet moments, all three of them simply looked at each other.

By the time I finally called Shanti to come with me, it was dark.

Not because anyone wanted to leave.

Simply because the day had ended.

As we walked back to the car, I realized how different I felt.

Nothing on my to-do list had been finished.

I hadn’t solved any problems.

I had simply spent two hours watching a dog and two squirrels.

And somehow, that was enough.

Looking back, afternoons like this are part of what inspired Retreat to Renewal.

Not because I think everyone should spend two hours watching squirrels.

But because I think we all need a little more room in our lives for curiosity.

Sometimes the best part of the day isn’t the thing we planned.

Sometimes it’s the thing we almost walked past.

Dr. Seany Renfrow, Licensed Psychologist

Certified Wellness & Well-Being Coach

Retreat to Renewal

Retreat facilitator