Puppy Love

Who, Me???

Be gentle today.  That heavy load you're under, let it go.  A gentle touch, a soft whisper, a word of encouragement is all that's needed to help you get over what's bothering you.  When we're in a cycle of despair, frustration can lead to anger and anger can lead to things spiraling out of control.  I noticed something very interesting the other day.  I have a new puppy and he is proving to be a challenge.  Well, I went out and inspected the yard and found that he had chewed up the wiring to the sump pump.  Good thing it wasn't plugged in.  I had three people in the house at the time and all three of us were upset and handled what had happened in their own way.  There was disbelief (What the h*ll?? --this, from me) Then I could quickly feel an angry and retaliatory energy starting to manifest itself around us as we loaded the puppy in his crate.  One person shook a fist in defiance at the puppy while another uttered some unintelligible words.  The third individual adopted a more benign attitude toward what had happened and actually helped the other two people calm down.  This third person turned out to be the key to whether the reaction to the puppy's chewing would be physical or a more balanced approach.  Let's equate this puppy with a small child.  Is there really any difference between a puppy and a small child?  No as both feel pain.  Anger begets anger.  In the heat of the battle, sometimes it's best to fall back and rethink your approach to things before you regret your actions.