Scott Linden Outdoors

Be careful what you wish for.

Humility comes in many forms, for both of us. For Flick, it’s being bowled over by an exuberant Lab puppy at kindergarten, or being small enough for me to pick up when he gets into mischief. But the sword cuts two ways.

My mis-step literally hurts the little guy when we’re running, fortunately not too often. Boy do I feel bad. There’s that at-wit’s-end feeling when nothing seems to stop his biting-whining-jumping up-pulling things down. “The look” from my lovely and tolerant spouse. Then, the botched command and reminder from our “teacher” that there are better ways to train than mine … I’ve been taken down a few pegs since Flick arrived.

The Buddha’s First Noble Truth is that life is suffering. He must have owned a wirehair puppy.