Our family pet is a 100+ pound golden retriever who is five years old and full of puppy. Surely no good could come from bringing him into a school full of children. I envisioned a lot of jumping, drooling, shedding, pulling, slobbering and excitement-induced peeing on the classroom floor.
How was I going to get out of this one?
I decided to play a game of "Let's Make a Deal". Last night I suggested that it might be time to add a fish to our family. "We could," I offered, "take a trip to the pet store and pick up a new fish just in time for pet day. Wouldn't that be fun?" I prodded. "Wouldn't that be lying?" she asked. "We don't have a pet fish. Lucky is our pet. I want to bring him."
What could I say? She was right. Lucky is our pet - every hairy, hyper, puppy pound of him.
This morning, armed with a bag of dog treats and a prayer, my husband and I loaded up the dog for his first day of school. Guess what? He did just fine. Our proud daughter introduced her classmates to her dog and confidently told them all about him. I must admit, he was more interesting than a fish would have been.
Sometimes, when life gets sticky, it's tempting to look for an easier way out. We want to present our lives like a neat package, all wrapped up in a ribbon. We don't want people to know the messy truth about us - things like the fact that our dog might very well pee (or worse) on the classroom rug.
Today, a six-year-old reminded me to keep it real; proving that when we have a little faith, embrace who we really are, and share it with the world, more often than not, things work out just fine.
Thank you for sharing!!
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