Unpredictable circumstances
2:54a.m.
“Hmm? Okay, okay. I’m coming.”
I wandered through the dark with my eyes slightly open following the jingling sound of Nugent’s dog collar. The jingling excitement increased as I drew closer to the garage door and his wiggling body. Potty-time always causes quite a stir, even in the middle of the night. Nugent doesn’t seem to care whether a storm is happening until he’s out in it. When he’s gotta go, he’s gotta go NOW.
I hooked his chain to his collar and opened the garage door. Out he flew, barking madly. The wind whipped and howled. Freezing rain flew pass the door. Nugent paused the barking long enough to do his business.
“Nugent!” I hollered. He came, but his chain didn’t reach the garage door. “Nugent! Why did you get yourself tangled? Now I have to go outside too!”
Meanwhile, the cat slipped by me for a sneak escape. I caught his tail, and snatched up the thirteen pound fluff-ball. Apparently the wind blew open the inside door. Mittens didn’t miss his chance to run. Obviously, that didn’t help my mood either.
I slammed the outside door. I slammed the door into the house. I slammed the bathroom door behind me because now I had to go too. Still fuming, I stomped back to the door, grabbed my thickest coat, and shoved my feet back into my slip-on shoes.
Outside I ranted, “Nugent! I can’t believe you did this!” He occasionally likes to tease us to get us to come out to play and in the process gets tangled. I was not thrilled.
Even with my hood on, the freezing rain smacked my face. My flannel pajama pants weren’t nearly as warm as they were inside. Nugent knew of my disapproval and tried to right his wrong, making things worse.
That’s when I saw it. His chain was not caught due to his negligence or orneriness. It was hooked around the post in the ground - totally not his fault. I was mad and falsely accused him before knowing the facts.
How often do I do that - automatically assume the worst of someone? The kids do or don’t do something, and I jump on them before knowing the reason they did or didn’t do it the way I thought they should. Has someone ever walked by you without acknowledging you? Or snapped at you for no apparent reason? Before assuming the worst, give them the benefit of a doubt. Perhaps they had a bad day. Maybe something totally rocked their world, and everything seems to be spinning out of control. Or maybe, something unpredictable happened – like getting a chain caught.
Sorry Nugent. He was curled up against me in the hollow my body made from its side position. I patted his head and felt his warm body rise and fall as he descended into a deeper sleep.
Thank you, God. I’m still learning important lessons from my dog.
“Hmm? Okay, okay. I’m coming.”
I wandered through the dark with my eyes slightly open following the jingling sound of Nugent’s dog collar. The jingling excitement increased as I drew closer to the garage door and his wiggling body. Potty-time always causes quite a stir, even in the middle of the night. Nugent doesn’t seem to care whether a storm is happening until he’s out in it. When he’s gotta go, he’s gotta go NOW.
I hooked his chain to his collar and opened the garage door. Out he flew, barking madly. The wind whipped and howled. Freezing rain flew pass the door. Nugent paused the barking long enough to do his business.
“Nugent!” I hollered. He came, but his chain didn’t reach the garage door. “Nugent! Why did you get yourself tangled? Now I have to go outside too!”
Meanwhile, the cat slipped by me for a sneak escape. I caught his tail, and snatched up the thirteen pound fluff-ball. Apparently the wind blew open the inside door. Mittens didn’t miss his chance to run. Obviously, that didn’t help my mood either.
I slammed the outside door. I slammed the door into the house. I slammed the bathroom door behind me because now I had to go too. Still fuming, I stomped back to the door, grabbed my thickest coat, and shoved my feet back into my slip-on shoes.
Outside I ranted, “Nugent! I can’t believe you did this!” He occasionally likes to tease us to get us to come out to play and in the process gets tangled. I was not thrilled.
Even with my hood on, the freezing rain smacked my face. My flannel pajama pants weren’t nearly as warm as they were inside. Nugent knew of my disapproval and tried to right his wrong, making things worse.
That’s when I saw it. His chain was not caught due to his negligence or orneriness. It was hooked around the post in the ground - totally not his fault. I was mad and falsely accused him before knowing the facts.
How often do I do that - automatically assume the worst of someone? The kids do or don’t do something, and I jump on them before knowing the reason they did or didn’t do it the way I thought they should. Has someone ever walked by you without acknowledging you? Or snapped at you for no apparent reason? Before assuming the worst, give them the benefit of a doubt. Perhaps they had a bad day. Maybe something totally rocked their world, and everything seems to be spinning out of control. Or maybe, something unpredictable happened – like getting a chain caught.
Sorry Nugent. He was curled up against me in the hollow my body made from its side position. I patted his head and felt his warm body rise and fall as he descended into a deeper sleep.
Thank you, God. I’m still learning important lessons from my dog.
No comments:
Post a Comment