LESSONS FROM THE BASSET HOUND

In case you are new here, let me introduce you to the Stinker pictured above. This is Lulu, our “loveable” basset hound. Her nicknames include: Turd, Moron, WHHHHYYYYYYY???, and Problem Child. That last one was gifted to her by my Grandma, who lives a billion miles away and has never even met Lulu. That is how terrible this dog’s actions are! They are heard round the world, scaring off anyone I attempt to pawn her off on. (that doesn’t mean I still don’t give it a good college try, though).

Lulu’s hobbies include: pooping all over our house, completely submerging her ears in the water while she gets a drink, scaring off scorpions (one redeeming quality), taking up all of the room on the couch, sleeping, yelling at me when I irritate her, and last but not least, constantly trying to catch the animals that cross our land. Pictured above is an action shot I managed to capture of her as she cried at the antelope grazing in our front yard. It was cute for about half a second, but then it just got relentless. That silly basset just would not give up! She sat on the second stair (ya know, so she could actually see out the window 😊) for a good forty-five minutes, staring and hoping and praying that someone would let her outside to chase the antelope to her heart’s content.

A few weeks ago, she received her wish. She managed to get out of our grasp, and went tearing across the open land, fulfilling her apparently life-long dream of hunting down every last critter. However, no matter how many antelope, cows, horny toads, or rabbits she stalked, she was unable to ever catch one. We spent an hour searching for that dumb dog, and when we finally found her she was dehydrated, exhausted, irritated that we were ending her fun, and defeated by each and every one of her prey. She spent the next few days recovering from her escapade, but didn’t learn a thing from her experience, as can be seen in the picture above.

Since I captured this moment about a week ago, it has made constant circles in the back of my mind. I never would have thought that a hilarious picture (that I took for the sole purpose of mocking The Turd) would cause such deep, introspective thoughts. However, this picture of my dog really caused me to think.

Am I sometimes like Lulu? (the thought indeed makes me shutter). Am I sitting on my own step, staring out the window as I long for the experiences that I “know” will make me happier? Do I think I know better than those who love me and are trying to keep me safe? Instead of fully living the moments I have right now, am I wasting time wishing for what others have?

No matter how much it pains me to admit it, over the past few months, I have been Lulu. How many times I have I cried and complained and ranted to the Lord, begging Him to change my current situation? Staring out my own window at the success of those around me, I get discouraged, feeling as if I will never reach their level. I’ll never have the money to go to school. I’ll never be successful enough to move out of my parent’s house. I’ll never get married to my favorite German Soccer Player. Instead, I am going to forever spend my days wishing and praying and hoping that the Lord would just give me what I want.

Luckily, just like Lulu, I’ve got someone looking out for me. I’ve got someone who loves and cares about me enough to keep me safe, even when it makes me angry. Lulu wouldn’t really want to be left out in the wilderness by herself. She’d be lonely, cold, hungry, thirsty, scared, and easy prey for other animals. Since we “love her”, we keep her inside with us, (despite the constant fear of stepping in poop) because we know it is what is best for her. I have a feeling the Lord views me in a very similar way. However, unlike in my relationship with Lulu, the Lord is patient and kind as I constantly cry and complain about the wishes of my heart. He doesn’t yell at me to “Knock It Off”, but lovingly listens, even when He knows my wishes will not bring me the delight I seek.

The Savior of the World chose to walk the exact path that I will walk, which allows Him to know just what I need. He and my Heavenly Father know that the successes and joys and experiences of others will not make me happy. My Heavenly Father uniquely created me, and similarly creates the unique-to-me life lessons that will bring me my own bliss and victories. I don’t deserve the happiness of others, I deserve my own. With the Savior and my Heavenly Father leading the way, I am guaranteed to have it.

With that in mind, and in an attempt to be less Lulu-esque, I am going to try not to push back against the people who love me. Instead of focusing on what I feel would make me the most happy, I am going to trust that my Savior and Heavenly Father know what they are doing. They put me in this time, place, and experience for a reason. Perhaps it is to keep me safe, perhaps it is to help me to grow, or perhaps it is a step to my greater happiness. Honestly, I’m not quite sure what the “why” behind everything is right now. However, I do know, that without a shadow of a doubt, I can trust Them. I know that if they are not leading me to my “wishes” it is because they are not in my best interest. They will never lead me astray, or hold me back from happiness. Instead, as I follow Them, and trust fully in Their plans for me, not only will I gain my greatest joy, but I can also experience it on the journey there.

So, this is me, getting off of my step, walking away from the window, and fully embracing the moment I am in now. Who knows how long it will last, but I know once it’s gone, it’s gone, and I don’t want to look back and only remember my whining at the Lord. Instead, I want to be able to reflect fondly on this time as a time where I trusted the Lord, strengthened my relationship with Him, cleaned up minimal amounts of dog poop, had tonnnnssss of fun, and grew into a better version of me.