What a welcome surprise to be greeted by the lodge host, Moose, a very mellow, well behaved K-9 friend. He escorted us to our table and checked us all out, then, time for a little nap (until the next batch of guests arrived).
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On the way home, Russell and I were talking about how, when we meet a dog for the first time, the first thing we notice is what we SEE; the breed, color, size, temperment, etc. It isn't until we spend some time the dog, that we REALLY SEE the dog for who it really is; gentle, playful, skiddish, mellow, aggressive, etc. When we give the dog our time, they show us their personality, their true colors ... who they really are.
It's funny how what once was a little JackRussell-like rescue dog is now Nera ... just Nera, sweet little Nera. And Max, he's not a BIG yellow lab, he's just Max, a real love. And Zoey ... is she a Border Collie or is she an Austrailian Shepherd? That didn't cross my mind ... she's 9; 9x7=63; Zoey's OLD! Or is she? Don't tell her that ... on many of our pack walks, she was the one right out front! And who was always the first one to dive in the water? Zoey, always Zoey. And she never dove in in the usual way, she always flopped right down with one big plop ... no need to jump and roll around and swim, she'd just lay there and enjoy the cool water. (It gets really hot under all that fur, you know.)
It's like that with people, too, isn't it? We meet someone and, without realizing it, our mind assigns the label; short, tall, fat, thin, pretty, ugly, handsome, nerd, hot, plain, black, white, shy, loud, etc. The label usually comes from some kind of comparison to .... ourselves. I've had people say to me over the years, "You're so this," or "You're so that." My response? "Don't compare your insides with my outsides." All you REALLY SEE at first glance is what I show you, an edited version of me, what I trust that you can handle right now. Spend some time with me and I decide if I want to show you more of who I REALLY AM, or not. That said, I always consider it an honor and a privilege when someone (2 or 4 legged) trusts me enough to share themselves with me, reveal who they REALLY ARE ... it's a window to the soul, open to a few. Once I have a little more insight into what makes a person (or a dog) tic ... I can be a much better friend and give a lot more grace. My work? Be a friend to all ... grace, grace, grace ...
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