Old Dog. New Tricks?

The other day, I watched my small, white dog see herself in a floor mirror for the first time. Since she’s 10 years old, or 70 in people years, I have no idea why she decided to look in the mirror now.

Not surprisingly, her reflection was startling. She stood frozen, peering into the face of the "other" dog. She looked away momentarily; then eyed that dog with a piercing stare. A wimpy "grrrr" came from her throat and she waited for its response. Would it grrrr back? Would it attack? Would it go away or be a friend?

A few moments passed, and she decided it was a friend. She pounced at it; wagged her tail; ran around in circles; and then, tiredly, lay down next to the new dog.

I reveled in watching the exchange between the old dog and the new dog. Naturally, it reminded me of the adage You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

Counter to that saying, my old dog learned something new for sure. And she gave me a moment to learn from her as well. Call me corny, but here are my takeaways from Dog Wisdom 101.

Maybe we should look in the mirror and see ourselves as someone new at times. Maybe we should ask that person whether she will be friend or foe. Will she attack or find ways to accept who we are in that moment?

And then maybe, we should invest a few moments in that new self. Maybe we should throw a bunch of frenetic, unbridled energy to new self, so she can quite literally SEE all that is in us.

Sure, we might be tired after the whole experience. But, maybe, just maybe, that burst of passion will encourage our personal, spiritual, and professional, self to seek out ways to learn a few new tricks. And let’s be honest. If we’re not willing to invest in ourselves, who will?

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