You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. -Maya Angelou
I need to be tolerant of the little things in life that can rob my peace.
Tonight I bear a scratched forearm. Bled like a stuck pig for a few minutes. All because Comet thinks he’s a lapdog and wanted to heave himself into my lap. His dew claw raked across me. I shouldn’t be harsh with him as we are all sort of stuck with the time we have right now. I’m gone twelve hours or more a day every weekday; it’s longer on the one or two evenings we have a church meeting or a dinner with friends. I can sometimes give the dogs twenty minutes or half an hour in the morning, ten or twenty minutes in the evening or the reverse. I collapse with a sleep aid or antihistamine into bed. We all look to Saturday to get out, play, hike and squeeze in the mundane other routines of the home.
It’s not that things are physically and mentally challenging all the time, but I think I am approaching that age where the repetitive cycles of crisis – which are never-ending in a profit-driven company – have me desperate for a vacation. Anyone who has worked in industry – relies on dozens of moving parts- engineers, designers, vendors, auditors, certifying agencies and customers to drive deliveries. Still, I have experienced and know others who are just as spent interacting with people all day long. Work is a four-letter word, my carpool buddy reminds me.
When I get home, it is time to put on another face. There’s a happy, excited dog or pack to greet me. Play is also a four-letter word that children and dogs understand and embrace. Home at last, I should be able to sustain a few scratches.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. – 1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV)
It's a Dog's Life 