meditation

The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large. Confucius

When the work week draws to a close, there is no one more ready to jump in the car and depart for home than yours truly.

While there are plenty of reasons to be cynical when a task relies on a complex interplay of human beings,  I am always brought back to the matter that a good mental state will produce a good end result.  And if good thoughts and prayers do not result in a satisfactory outcome for everyone, I can be secure in that I did my best.

Take today as an example.  I started the day with time in contemplating with my God.   Which made consideration of taking an unscheduled day off seem selfish.   While I was considering my wants,  I saw that Comet was favoring a leg while still excited to go for a morning walk.   You can learn a lot about endurance and encouragement from a dog.

While he did not seem to be using a sore leg for attention – or extra biscuits, he was still really excited to get out for that walk.  For Comet and Dexter, a walk is the highlight of their day, and a chance to dig for gophers,  sniff bushes, greet the occasional person and to mark territory.  It is more than enough reason to endure some discomfort.    Employed humans on the other hand, endure discomfort to go to work – as the resulting drama: staff issues, task  deadlines, and a deluge of email by taking a sick day,  is more burdensome than the original discomfort.

And I can empathize as much as one reasonably can empathize with a dog.  A few years ago, I had a broken wrist.  It was not much fun on the days I was working half-time.  But I probably expedited my healing by walking Dexter and encouraging  my overworked spouse.  Tomorrow I take Comet to the vet to see whether an injury, arthritis, or other situation can be remedied within the constraints of my budget.  Until then, like Confucius,  I will meditate on good thoughts.