ALONG FOR THE RIDE
Owen likes road
trips. He does. His crate fits perfectly in the back of my
car, and he’s always ready to hop in. He
never begs to see an itinerary. He never
questions my route. He doesn’t ask if
we’re “there yet” or whine for a rest stop, or water, or a toy. He gets settled in his crate, I get behind
the wheel, and off we go. I’m in charge
of the driving – and my sweet, four-legged friend is along for the ride.
I usually put
something interesting in the crate to occupy his attention – a chewie rawhide
or a beat up toy - but before long
Owen’s lying down, his eyes drooping closed and his breathing even and
slow. He’s not afraid to sleep while I
navigate; he trusts me to get us where we’re going.
If the trip is long
and I stop for a bit, I’ll open the back and take Owen out for a break; a turn on the leash, sniffing and exploring,
and a drink and a bit of a treat to eat.
I don’t leave him unattended; I never forget he’s there. When it’s time to crate up again he doesn’t balk;
he goes right in easy and settles down quickly.
He’s along for the ride.
You see where this is
going, right?
My dog’s faith puts
mine to shame. In contrast to Owen, I
wonder how often what the driver ( let’s call him God) is up to; question the route he uses to take me where
he means for me to go; feel the need for
frequent updates to reassure me that we are, in fact, making good
progress. And in no way do I relish being
“loaded in” for travel facing backward, with no visibility and no control over
the trip.
He means to get me
from point A to point B, and to mature me in the process. I find it difficult to give myself to this
“going” without seeing – to say “yes” to the journey and say nothing more. I struggle to relax, and fear that if I close
my eyes we may veer hopelessly off track.
Even writing these
words I feel ashamed. I’ve followed him
long enough that I should be more confident with his way-finding skills. I should enjoy the trip, and be relieved to
not be minding the map. I should feel
free to sigh and sleep – to snore even – knowing he is getting us where we need
to be. After all, he is the
navigator. And I’m just along for the
ride.
Leigh McLeroy
WEDNESDAY WORDS
It appears as if I have something to learn from Owen, Jake and Oreo!
ReplyDeleteThanks!