Cheese Is for Sharing

and other wisdom for humans.

Sometimes it’s hard to be a person.

The pressure. The responsibility. The existential dread.

If you’re an anxious human or an empathetic human — really any human with a heart — there’s a good chance you’ve been feeling it as of late.

The other day, I saw an opinion piece about how dogs (generally) enjoy their lives more than people. This did not seem like news. While I cannot speak directly to the dog experience, I can attest that Gnocchi seems fairly content — anchored in the moment, curious, refreshingly devoid of shame.

I recently described her as one of my greatest teachers, which made me wonder, if she were to give a lecture, what would she say? As this piece started to take shape, it became apparent that it needed to be told in her voice.

So today, for beloved paid subscribers, I present a very special guest post (and much-needed departure from the status quo). I hope you enjoy it even half as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

---

Listen up, human, for I am your teacher.

HI. HELLO. It’s Gnocchi.

After walking on the lady’s keyboard for MONTHS I am jazzed to share my truth. Here is the wisdom of Dog, for humans, by dog — thirteen-and-a-half tips for living. I love you. Thank you. Here goes.

1. STAY IN YOUR LANE.
There is this dachshund who lives in our building, with flowing flaxen hairs and chonky furry feets like a bougie Grinch. When he goes for walks, he wears a blue hooded puffer and when my lady sees him, she goes “awww” like she doesn’t have her own enchanted Ewok (ME) at home. Like that isn’t ridiculous enough, the neighbor-ween has an Instagram account with a bajillion followers that $upports his family while I’ve never made a dollar in my life. If I were human, I’d probably be jealous, but I am dog, so I do not care. I am me and that is plenty. I am me and I am love, so somebody give me a carrot.

2. SEIZE IT.
The moment, the day, the dropped morsel. Dogs never procrastinate. Why do you?

Ah-hem.

3. ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT.
How else are you going to get it?

3 1/2. IF IT DOESN’T WORK, ASK AGAIN.
Don’t be shy. Maybe they didn’t hear you. Persistence is a virtue. That sometimes results in cheese.

4. PEE OUTSIDE GO OUTSIDE.
I had this whole tip planned but I’ve since been informed that it is illegal for humans to just pee wherever they feel like, so I guess don’t pee outside. But for the love of fish sticks please at least GO outside. GO NOW! Look at a tree or something. “Outside” can mean a lot of things — outside your home, outside your routine, outside your comfort zone, WHATEVER. The point is that stepping out forces you to EXPERIENCE stuff like fresh air, fresh smells, fresh feelings, neighborhood happenings like when there’s a new garden statue in the shape of a whimsical goose in Gladys’ front yard. It helps you find ideas. It reminds you of your place (very small) in the grand scheme of things. It’s harder to doom spiral when you’re looking at a cloud or a constellation or a dog in a barn jacket. Especially that one.

Are you looking at dog videos AGAIN?

5. NO MORE GLOWING BOXES.
Maybe I can’t read, but I know plenty: when the people look at the glowing boxes, they’re not engaged with ME. They stare. They scroll. They sigh. The mood changes. Sometimes they watch dog videos instead of playing with the PERFECTLY GOOD DOG RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM. The glowing boxes are bad news. I say we banish them all.

6. ENJOYMENT IS SIMPLE.
Find the sun patch. Claim the warm blanket. Seek the comfort. See the gift.

7. TREATS.
That’s the whole tip. Treats. You deserve it.

8. RELAX.
I don’t mean relax like when the lady tells me to relax when I’m barking my head off at something like it’s a synonym for “calm down.” I mean relax the way some people talk about pickle-ball. Like it’s an activity. A sport. A movement. A lifestyle. A destination. Like there’s an award ceremony at the end. The label matters far less than the part where relaxing is essential to your wellbeing, and also the SWEET ELIXIR OF LIFE. Try it out for a sec: stop, slow, stretch. Feels good, yes? Put it on your human calendar: RELAX.

What? I was sleeping.

9. THERE IS NO SHAME IN…
I tried to finish this sentence and then realized I couldn’t come up with a SINGLE example because as far as I’m concerned, there is no shame in anything. I poop in public. I wear my emotions on my tail. I exist without pretense because I don’t even know what pretense means. There is NO shame in ANYTHING. Except your shame. What’s up with that?

EFUYGOeufgodsugEFGTYDCSgoefygyitviyxySLFJUjhuuuuu
Not a tip, SORRY, I got fired up and walked on the keyboard again.

10. VANITY IS FOR GROOMERS.
What do I even look like? I do not know and it matters not. Any value placed on appearances is part of a larger conspiracy to sell you stuff and bolster the economy and keep you distracted from real aims like dismantling the patriarchy, fostering or adopting all the animals (OK FINE cats too), and reaching enlightenment. Vanity is for groomers — it’s the spirit that counts.

Your pillow is my pillow. Which makes this my pillow.

11. TODAY IS HAPPENING.
From the moment I opened my eyes, I was jazzed about this day. I looked out the window and I wiggled my body and I jumped on the lady’s face even though she was still sleeping because I didn’t want her to miss it because TODAY IS NOW. There is a sun that shines. (How??) Things taste good. Stuff happens. Surprises surprise you. I know that sometimes humans think it’s bad (so human of them) and maybe it is. But do you ever stop and think it’s WONDROUS, too?

12. CHEESE IS FOR SHARING.
Joyful things are amplified when shared. Good news. Humor. CHEESE. Try it, right now, go, share something. Make someone’s day better and it will make yours better, too.

13. THINKING IS OVERRATED.
If I could impart just ONE piece of wisdom to humans it would be this: LIVE, don’t judge.

Okay? Okay. Thank you, I love you, goodbye.

---

Card of the Week

Here is this week’s card for the collective, as well as some thoughts to carry into the days ahead. As always, this reading is not meant to be predictive, but rather is offered as a path to reflection. Read it, ponder it, journal about it, use it however you’d like. Take whatever may be helpful and leave the rest.

Serpentfire Tarot by Fae Wolfe

Sometimes, I wish that I were different.

I wish I were more outgoing, more fearless, less concerned with what others thought. I wish I were comfortable monologuing for a camera. I wish I were less self-critical. More positive. More easygoing. I wish I were a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller…[writes rest of post with Skee-Lo's “I Wish” playing in the background].

This week’s message would like us to believe in a source of unlimited power and potential — ourselves.

When this card came up, I laughed, because I’d never felt less aligned with something. But that is the point.

There’s nothing wrong with wishes, says this week’s card, but they’re merely one part of the equation. Do our wishes align with our true selves? Do we trust in them, and our ability to make them come true? And, crucially, are we following them up with action?

When it comes to dreams and actions, one begets the other. We may find ourselves waiting until we feel good or confident or ready before we make a move. But often, making the move can be the thing that helps us feel good and confident and ready.

The iconic Smith-Waite deck, with art by Pamela Colman Smith

The Queen of Wands bids us to ponder all sorts of exciting things — transcendence, transformation, passion, power. In all cases, the way forward is through self-knowledge, by reclaiming who we are, at our deepest essence.

If you’ve operated under the belief that you’re not “the kind of person” who [fill-in-the-blank], maybe it’s time to revisit that.

Who told you what your limitations are? And just as importantly, whoever said they were right?

This week’s card cautions us against buying into limiting stories, whether gifted or of our own devising. If a certain situation or course of action doesn’t resonate with you, that’s okay. But if you wish you could pursue it, and your stories are standing in the way, well, perhaps it’s time for some editing.

In life, we inevitably come up against circumstances that are not of our choosing. The messaging may be disempowering, but we always have the option to elevate our consciousness.

We can adjust our viewpoint. We can adopt a new philosophy. We can change our minds.

Today’s message reminds us that we carry the power of reinvention — at any stage, at any time. It teaches that true power lies in self-mastery. And this is always up to us.

It can feel overwhelming to change — or to even contemplate it. How intimidating to make a move, to summon the belief to dare. How exhausting to overhaul ourselves from within these well-worn grooves that have come to feel like home.

And yet. It is far more exhausting to drag the weight of outdated beliefs, societal pressures, inherited wounds, and all that no longer serves us.

The hardest thing about change is often that first step.

When I wrote this line, I typed “the Queen of Wands” as “the Queen of Wants.” But when I saw the typo, I knew it was actually the message.

Let us all practice being the Queen of Wants. But we’re talking deep, authentic wants — the forces that make us feel alive.

The Queen isn’t shy about what she desires. Even if it seems silly to some. She doesn’t carry shame or embarrassment about whatever moves her. And she trusts in her own power to bring it forth.

In the days ahead, she invites us to ponder: What do you wish? And what are you waiting for?

---

As always, thank you for reading. x