My husband and I re-connect at the end of our work day by getting outside and moving. We are happiest when moving forward on wheels of any kind- bikes, in- line skates, motor cycles {not me} and cars. On those nights when the weather is not warm or dry enough, we walk. And Willie, our dog always joins us in what is a walk for us and an adventure for him... or so we thought.
We were out last week at night in the dark, doing our walk around the block and talking and walking Willie. We live in the suburbs and are fortunate to still have lots of trees and wooded areas in our neighborhood. The three of us walk around this turn and Willie puts the brakes on and stops with all four paws scraping on the street before he came to a halt. If there could have been sparks from his paws, there would have been. He does not do this frequently but when he does, I must be well trained by him because I usually turn around and go the other way. I start to turn and go back the way we came, obeying my dog... They say that dogs train their masters and I guess I am living proof of that one. My husband says, "Why do we have to do what he wants? I want to keep walking this way." So, I stop a few seconds and think about it and say , "Sure, let's keep going. We don't have to listen to him just because he says so." And I am thinking, "Why am I listening to a dog?" So, we turn into the darkness of the night and take one step forward and then we hear them... We hear howling from the edge of the woods. Picture an old western movie where it is a night time desert scene with the moon and the howling and that is what it sounded like. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up... My husband and I started laughing and realized that Willie was right. He had a good point... He knew about the coyotes in the woods. So, we instinctively turned without talking and started walking in the opposite direction towards home. May I add that this was the direction that Willie had suggested just moments earlier. Willie turned to me and stepped in front of me and stood up on his back paws. If he could speak I think he would have said, "Help me , I am about to be eaten." I bent and picked him up {he weighs 5 1/2 pounds} as I unzipped my coat and put him inside so that just his head was sticking out. I think I heard a sigh of relief. We walked home with thought of Jurassic Park flashing through our minds.
Sometimes it is hard to figure which voice to listen to. This happens to me as a parent also. So much drama and story and sometimes even the most devoted parent can ignore the voice and message that needs to be heard.
Is there a Willie in your life that you need to listen to?
What message do we give when we just do what they want us to do?
What message do we give when we admit we are wrong?
What message do we give when we let our children be the leader?
Where do you need to put the brakes on?
I hope you don't have to hear the howling coyotes before you get the message.
Sending my best,
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