I'm by no means and inspirational writer, a philosopher, or a theologian. I typically try to keep my writing light and unalienating.
But this is a short story long about so much more than a handsome dog, so please bear with me.
When Boone was a little guy, I gave him baths all the time. It was adorable and heart-breaking all at once; he would get scared and shake and press his head against me for "safety". I felt like the only one in the world who could cheer him up; I'd lift his tiny body out of the tub and towel him until he was dry, never minding the mess we left in our wake. These are some of my happiest memories and, undoubtedly, some of his worst.
But about three years ago (before Rosie joined our family), I decided for my safety and sanity that our bath times together had to stop. For those of you who don't know Boone, he's a *big* golden retriever. Bigger than most, he's a lean 75 pounds and nose-to-tail he's well over 5 feet long. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a skittish, slippery dog who's half my size could quickly escalate to a full blown disaster. And after a few close calls and a lot of frustration, we called it quits.
Since then, Boone has gotten a handful of groomer baths all the while demonstrating his mastery of second
But today, Boone got himself into a *stinky* situation...one that even I couldn't ignore. By the time I realized what had happened, I had already resigned myself to the fact a big dog bath was in my near future.
As we entered my small bathroom, I was very surprised to see this dog step over the edge of the tub with minimal guidance. I was initially expecting a fight and for a minute, I regained a glimmer of hope that this one wouldn't be like the scary baths of years past. Then immediately, as the curtain closed behind us, his demeanor changed; unlike my little 15 pound puppy, he had a maturity that he previously lacked, almost a sense of obligation that his actions had led to this punishment. And despite his sense of duty, he was terrified.
It was at that moment, something unexpected happened. From the other side of the door...Rosie barked happily. It literally sounded like she was saying, "Hey guys, what are you doing!? Can I join?!" Her protective big brother, in his moment of weakness, didn't whimper or bark back. He relaxed. His mouth fell open to reveal that happy pink tongue and I swear I saw a little bit of a tail wag. The rest of his bath went quickly and without protest, like he recognized it would all be worth it because once it was over, he'd be back with his Rosie.
Now Rosie didn't know what she was missing out on, and frankly she didn't care. No matter what we were doing, she'd rather be with us than away from her little family.
Simultaneously, I'm not naïve enough to hypothesize why Boone relaxed. I've read multiple books on dog psychology and I feel the only thing I've learned is we still don't know enough. Nonetheless, I anthromorphized his reaction and started getting all the feels.
Maybe he was happy he was the one getting the bath, so his sister could be spared.
Maybe he was happy that he had a sister waiting for him when he got out of the bath.
Maybe he was happy he has a mom who can give him a bath or a house where he can retreat, so he doesn't smell like poo indefinitely...though even I recognize this one's a long shot.
He could've relaxed for any one of a thousand reasons, but the reason doesn't matter. He mustered all the courage he had and made the best of a bad situation.
How much can we learn about optimism from a dog in a bathtub? Or a dog on the wrong side of a door? And who's to say which side is the wrong side of a door?
In a world where people are literally gunning down civilians, leaders are criticizing victims of natural disaster for laziness, and people are overlooking a potential nuclear war because athletes are kneeling, there needs to be more positivity. The average man and woman needs to focus on the overwhelming good because we're continually pummeled by all the bad. And in the grand scheme of things, there's so so much more good than bad in the world.
We need to stop criticizing each other. We need to stop judging each other. We need to stop focusing on everything that's going wrong and start focusing on all the blessings we have. In that moment, Boone humanized my favorite Bible verse:
It came to pass.
Because no matter how bad our lives might feel when we only look at our current struggles, they don't last forever. What's more, there's always a figurative dog on the other side of the door who'd give anything to be where you are.
For the Christians in the crowd - or any one feeling a bit lost - I'm reminded of my favorite of Rob Bell's Nooma videos (link below). Well worth the watch if you want to learn to look at your struggles from a different perspective.
