Weeding Through Life

This morning Carl seems to be a little more on edge than normal.  You would think that walking a dog day after day, he would begin to understand the rules of how to engage with other dogs. But not Carl. Today I realized that what should be a typical walk around the block is nothing but ordinary. I just don’t understand why Carl’s behavior is always changing.  And not always in a positive direction.

The one thing about life that you can count on is change. Just when you think life has a normalcy that fits well, something happens that puts it in a topspin. Which leaves us with unanswered questions and emotions that glaze over the circumstance like an oil spill over the ocean.

We can resort to questioning why the change has happened but it usually is best to weed through the issues and decide what actions need to take place. I have personally found that making a plan in unchartered waters can give me a sense of peace, even when I may not have any control over the situation.

In Psalm 73, the author begins grumbling about the unfairness of life and how the ungodly seem to get a free ride through life. In the middle of the psalm he enters the sanctuary of God and turns his focus off of himself and unto God. His ingratitude for his life transitions into gratitude once his eyes are placed upward. Maybe in times of change, we should imitate this psalmist and pull our thoughts towards heaven.

Holding on to Carl and Bee and noticing the tension in the air, I needed to think quickly.  Carl had spotted a dog ahead of us and couldn’t get to it. His hair on the back of his neck shot up and he began to squeal which should have alerted me into action. But before I could move Bee out of the way, Carl lunged towards her and they locked up in a full blown dogfight. Thankfully, I was able to ask a bystander to take a hold of Bee and draw them apart.

As the scene unfolds in front of me, I know that I must devise a plan to keep this from happening again. So I decide to walk the dogs separately and hope that Carl will feel special enough not to act out. Only time will tell.