Kelly, Ike and I love to play outside in the yard. But sometimes we encounter an obstacle.
I’ve written about the snakes in my backyard before, and the legend of St. Patrick and how he supposedly banished snakes from Ireland, a heroic feat in my eyes.
I realize that snakes are part of the environment and good and useful. Some even say they’re beautiful. But for a moment let’s say that, for me, snakes are a negative.
When I see a snake in my backyard, I generally scream and jump up onto the porch steps until my slithery foe is out of sight.
But I’ve noticed a different reaction from my dogs.
When Kelly sees a snake in the grass, she grabs it and shakes it, then flings it aside and prances off on her merry way. (I’m sorry Kelly torments the snakes—I’m unable to foresee or prevent these dog-snake encounters, but let me assure you that the snakes come through unscathed every time. Then they quickly slither off and find someplace safer to reside.)
When Ike, on the other hand, sees a snake, he just steps over it and continues on his way. He doesn’t let it bother him. It’s almost as if he doesn’t even notice it.
Let’s say these snakes represent something negative in our lives. (For reptile lovers this won’t be true, but in my case it is!) Kelly and Ike have shown me two different techniques for handling a troublesome obstacle.
1) I can grab a problem and tackle it head-on, shake it up until I’ve told it who’s boss, and then cast it aside. My path is clear.
2) I can just step over the problem, not give it any more weight or value than it needs, and continue on the path without worry.
Both acceptable strategies.
How do you handle negatives in your path? Are you more like Kelly–or Ike?
