Yesterday I took my good girl Trixi to the vet because she has been limping for several weeks. This was my first visit to the veterinarian so Trixi and I were very anxious, because she is always an anxious doggy and so am I.
While the doctor took Trixi out to assess her, I was worrying about what was wrong and wondering about how much pain she might be in. I was looking at the animal pictures on the wall in the bright, stifling hot office and saw a framed handwritten poem. As I read it I got a little teary-eyed over its truthfulness, so I am sharing it with you. There is no title or author listed.
“If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can get going without pep pills,
If you can resist complaining about your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can overlook it when something goes wrong through no fault of yours and those you love take it out on you,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can ignore a friend’s limited education and never correct him,
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,
If you can face the world without deceit or lies,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion, or politics,
Then, my friends, you are almost as good as your dog.”
What can you do differently to be almost as good as your dog?