Bryan Thompson :: Blogged

So sorry I haven't blogged in so long. I am trying to get back in the swing of it. Here are some thoughts on persistence.

My dog Angel is really stupid. She's got a list of problems: she's unsocialized (though we've tried), she's stubborn, and she's stupid. She can't have much brain space, she's three years old and weighs two-and-a-half pounds. It's as big as she'll ever get.

But, Angel has one thing going for her. She's persistent. Man alive is she persistent! Every night, she does the same thing: she goes into the kitchen where her dog bowls are and she gives off this short "ARF" in a syncopated rhythm every six seconds. (She has plenty of food and water, but she's picky and only really likes the "bits" out of the Kibbles and Bits.) For a while, she's easy to ignore, but after a good ten minutes of this or longer - especially as there are conversations going on at the time - I usually get so annoyed with her that I give her exactly what she wants.

Angel, my stupid dog, has challenged me about the thought of persistence. There is never a thought in her head that tells her to give up, to stop her course. It never occurs to her to stop trying to get what she wants. It's occured to me plenty in life.

How many times have I given up on something because I thought the door wasn't opening or that it "probably wouldn't work out?" It pains me to think of how many things I've missed out on - some perhaps small and some perhaps very, very big - because I've quit when things looked rocky or even hopeless. Had I the small smarts of a Yorkie-Poo with Kibbles-and-Bits on the brain, I wonder if I might have just gotten the things I claimed to want.

Angel may not have a lot going for her in the way of intelligence, but she has persistence. That's for sure. So, note to self: heed the wise advice from a stupid dog.