Learning from Sugar

Does anyone remember Walt Disney’s Ferdinand the Bull? Long story short, when the bull fighter wanted some action, he found Ferdinand sitting and smelling the flowers. I have a dog, Sugar, who sometimes reminds me of Ferdinand.

She’s a barker, and I’m sure she drives my neighbors to distraction. So I go outside and tell her to hush up, or shut up, depending on my mood. Sometimes I find her lying on the patio, barking at nothing. I guess, like some people, she just wants to hear her own voice. If she’s having a rough day, I tell her to come inside.

This is where her Ferdinand side comes in. She looks at me and casually starts wandering around the yard, sniffing every blade of grass and every flower, trying to look innocent. “Who me? I wouldn’t bug the neighbors.”

Actually, I get it. Sometimes we’re so wound up in personal problems, or writer’s block, or the other neighbor who has a barker, that we forget to smell the grass – or like Ferdinand, smell the flowers.

There are times I feel like plopping myself down next to her to simply watch the world go by. Unfortunately, I have a house to clean or a book to write, or the phone rings. The doorbell might chime. There’s always something. Also, since it rains here so often, I’d end up with a wet pair of jeans and a mess to clean up.

I’ll give you one guess about who’s the calmer of the two of us, me or Sugar. You guessed it. Sugar can lie down anywhere, any time, and fall asleep. (She snores quite loudly, by the way.) She may be a barker, but it seems to help her feel fulfilled. Go figure.

Sometimes, no matter how busy or wound up you are, you need to be a Sugar. Sit down and smell the grass, the flowers, or whatever makes you happy. Have a glass of iced tea out on the patio and watch the world go by. Actually, on the rare occasions I do that, some of my best ideas come to me. I’ve seen a lot of people who open their garage door and pull up a chair, and just quietly watch the neighborhood. Have you noticed how many men will watch construction projects? There’s something fascinating about the process to them and they forget their cares, too.

The answers to personal problems sometimes come as an epiphany during those quiet moments, too.

 Murphy's greatest love is food

Clementine despises the camera

What happens next? Sugar sees a bird in the tree and she’s off and barking again. About that time, her brother, Murphy, and her stepsister, Clementine, pick up on the attitude and bark right along with her.

My point is, take a break and smell the grass (figuratively speaking), and learn to let go for even a few minutes. Sometimes it’s worth leaving everything behind for a few minutes.

Uh oh. There goes Sugar. She must have known I was writing about her. Oh. She stopped. She must be sniffing again. Maybe I should have named her Ferdinanda.

Until next time, take a break. Enjoy your day and don’t let things get you wound up. It’s just not worth it.

Come back on Thursday, May 4, for a visit from Author, F.M. Meredith.

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Black Butterfly – A Bogey Man Mystery, is just what you need up during those quiet moments.