A Dog Day in Lessons

Sometimes life's lessons are for the dogs.  And in this case, literally.  Yesterday, Eva (my 6 month old puppy) was good for the most part.  But she got wild at one point and wrapped her jaws around my arm.  Being former K-9, I simply grabbed her by her collar and put her outside telling her "NO!"  After a while, I let her back inside.  She didn't seem sorry.  In fact, she was wagging her tail as if nothing ever happened.


I went to get some ice for my big cup of water.  We have one of those french door fridges with the bottom drawer freezer.  Our "ice maker" is inside the freezer above a big container that catches the ice.  I was getting a big scoop of ice cubes when Eva suddenly showed up wagging her tail and panting with a smile that only dogs can do.  I looked at her and said, "No ice for you!  You were naughty girl!" 


She whined and scooted in closer as if to say, "Gimme my ice cube now!"


I shrugged my shoulders and told her, "Nope!  You were not nice, so you don't get any."


A piece of ice popped out of my scoop and landed right at her feet, which she happily gobbled up.  I cursed at myself for being clumsy.  Then as I put the scoop back through the ice catcher, another ice cube went shooting up and out of the freezer....right to Eva.  Again, she gobbled it up and "smiled" at me.


I stood up at that point, put my hands on my hips, and said, "What the hell?!"  Here I was trying to teach her a lesson and the darn dog was getting all the ice cubes she wanted!  I could feel my Team laughing at me.  I silently informed them that I didn't want to give her what I felt she didn't deserve in that moment.  They, in turn, informed ME that it wasn't up to me whether she got the ice or not.  Eva wanted the ice without judgment of whether she deserved it or not.  She EXPECTED to be given ice, so she got ice.


Oh.  Then after some thought I realized that we have a lot to learn about these things.  So often we look to others to provide the things we need or feel we want...and we become disappointed when those people do not deliver or meet our expectations.  If we would simply surrender our desires to Source (God, Universe, whatever you choose to call a higher power), and then expect them, well the Universe is going to deliver no matter who it's from.  The trouble we get into is when we feel it HAS to come from someone or something very specific and then we doubt whether we're deserving or if it will ever happen.  All that does is block the avenue the desire is manifesting from.  It works when we believe we can have something, expect it to happen, and then hold ourselves wide open to receive in whichever way it shows up.  I don't know how many times I and other people have turned away a real gift or miracle because it wasn't how we imagined it was supposed to come through. 


Then we look at others who we have judged as "undeserving" and scratch our heads because they seem to get everything they want.  How is that possible?  Why do some of us seem to do the right thing, but yet struggle and struggle...and get nowhere?  Meanwhile, so and so over there never struggles, makes a lot of mistakes, isn't so nice, and yet he or she never lacks.  It's simple.  The Universe does not discriminate between who is deserving and who isn't.  Why?  Because it is without EGO, and therefore only gives us what we believe we can have.  If we believe we're the type of person who good things rarely happen to, then guess what?  Good things will rarely happen to us.  If we simply expect things to always be there, then that is what will happen as well. 


When I was getting ice today, Eva was right there waiting for her cube.  I smirked and chucked her a piece, which she happily gobbled right away.  I am resigned to the fact that it doesn't matter if it comes from me or from some other source.  The girl is going to get what she wants because that's how she rolls.  Ha ha!