Play: Lessons From a Very Wiggly Teacher

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We recently adopted a puppy named Daja.

She is an endless well of cuteness, stubbornness, and wiggly energy... even at 3 a.m.

At just six months old, she weighs 35 pounds and shows no sign of slowing down.
When we went to the shelter, we had a plan. We wanted a medium or small dog between two and five years of age, ideally calm and maybe a little lazy.
Instead, we came home with a puppy.
A very large, very energetic, and very opinionated puppy.

Exactly what we said we didn’t want.
And we love her anyway.

Sometimes life does that. The version of your story that makes the most sense on paper isn’t the one your heart decides to live out.

Daja started her life as a stray, then spent over a month in the shelter. So when we brought her home, everything changed for her. The world opened up in all directions... and every day since, I’ve watched her greet it with wide-eyed enthusiasm ready to explore, learn and play!

Exploration: The World Through New Eyes

A leaf isn’t just a leaf. It’s a plaything, a puzzle.
Every sidewalk is an undiscovered path.
Every scent holds a mystery worth investigating with her entire face.

It’s been a long time since I saw my own neighborhood this way. I’ve lived in Birmingham for most of my life. I know the parks, the streets, the little spots you walk past without thinking. But with Daja, I’m noticing things again.

It reminds me of a phrase I’ve always loved:


“What’s old is new again.”

You don’t have to travel far to be an explorer. Sometimes you just have to step outside with curiosity ... and maybe a slightly chaotic dog.

Learning: Smart, Stubborn, and Still Growing

We’re learning that Daja is smart. Really smart.
The kind of smart that comes with opinions.

She already knows a few commands, but she also knows when she’d rather not follow through. Even when treats are involved.

Her learning process has reminded me that growth is rarely tidy. Sometimes progress looks like inconsistency, or like complete disinterest. But beneath the chaos, she’s constantly absorbing, testing (clever girl), adjusting.

Learning is happening, even when it doesn’t look like it.

That’s something I think a lot of us forget as adults. We expect results. We expect polish. But the truth is, learning often looks like stubbornness and repetition. Sometimes it looks like failure right up until it clicks.

Play: Wonder Is a Muscle

Living with a puppy means rediscovering wonder. It also means practicing patience... but mostly wonder.

Daja reminds me every day that play is not just about toys or games. It’s a way of moving through the world. A way of exploring with joy. A way of learning without fear.

And the beautiful part? That mindset is contagious.

We can choose to revisit familiar places with new attention.
We can approach challenges as puzzles instead of problems.
We can treat mistakes as part of the game rather than signs of failure.

Play is more than a distraction. It’s a mindset of curiosity, trial, and openness. Watching Daja sniff everything, taste everything, trip over her own feet, and then bounce back up... I’m reminded that playfulness isn’t just something we make time for. It’s something we carry with us when we’re willing to see the world as full of discovery.

Sometimes all it takes is a new furry companion to remind you how much you’ve forgotten how to see.

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