What do you do when life knocks you down? The other day, I had the brilliant idea of linking several dog leashes together to make a longer leash for one of our dogs. My youngest son wanted to bring our two dogs outside for some training. The goal was to teach them not to run away, and this required the use of a very long leash. Since we only had one, I improvised.
Once outside, our male dog, Smokey, sensed something was different and ran. The pieced-together leash came apart, and he was gone. After a very long time and an exhaustive search, Smokey ran out of the swampy woods, into the driveway, and right toward me. I grabbed the leash and directed him toward the front porch.
Suddenly, he changed direction and bolted the opposite way, causing me to fall over backward onto the hard ground. Upon hearing my scream, the mischievous dog came back to me and the boys came running, but I didn’t move. Given the force with which I fell and the fact that I hit my head, I was concerned. After realizing I was alright, I got up, rinsed off the muddy rascal, and retreated to the house. I spent the rest of the day and the days to follow feeling sore and defeated, and indulging in a pity party, convinced that everything was awful. I let that one challenging incident cloud my vision and keep me down.
Days later, the roses near our front porch, just a few feet away from where I fell, started blooming. They remind me I have much to be thankful for, and no time to waste on pity parties. I stop each time I pass them to smell their sweet aroma and appreciate their beauty. I encourage you not to linger in a dark place when life knocks you down. Life is hard, but it’s far too short to be spent focusing on the negative. Cast your gaze elsewhere.
