Keeping It In Perspective

Yesterday evening Robert and I paused and wondered, if after nearly two weeks of remarkable recovery on DJ's part, was he backsliding? Was that a limp he's developed today? Did we let him walk or run too much? Should I not have allowed him to go up and down the stairs yet? We fretted and worried. Would we wake up to find him unable to walk well or falling again?

This morning DJ went down the stairs easily and with coordination. He trotted out to the backyard readily. His hind legs still kind of swing from side to side, but they have all along. His back paws don't always land solidly on the ground, but for the most part he seems to find where to put them and moves along. In other words, we didn't need to worry, but we didn't know that. A new day brought reassurance— and some perspective.

Today the dogs also got a special treat: bones. Now, if you have a Yorkshire Terrier or a Jack Russell, or even a Woodle, then you might think the bones we give our dogs are absurd. Even most dogs that are wonderful mixes, as humans are, of various genetic traits might find these bones to be enormous. You might think they're from Tyrannasourous Rex, these bones are so giant. But our dogs are like the NBA players of the dog world—only without the grace and athleticism of professional basketball players. Our dogs are, relatively speaking, huge.

So the bones we give our dogs, are just the right size for them. They can gnaw on the bones and chew to their hearts content; holding them and moving them easily with their gigantic paws. I realized this morning watching them, that they operate so intuitively, not stopping to think, our dogs don't need perspective. They are in the moment. We however, are prone to think about the past, the future, and wonder in the present. Sometimes just a little perspective though, can help us realize that we are what we are, and comparison to others— or worry about the past or the future— just takes us away from the here and now. Perfect or not, that's what we've got, so we're going to try to keep it in perspective and in the present. How's that for something to chew on?