It’s not a rare sighting to drive down our country road and come across a dog “free-ranging”. If I’m out running or walking I usually stop and pet them, if they’re friendly. Once one tried to come home with me. Another time, this great white furry Great Pyrenees just seemed to want to say hi, and then headed off back home on its own. But yesterday, I came across a dog I hadn’t seen before and didn’t know where it lived. I was driving, so I pulled off the road. It came running up like we were old friends. I opened the back door of the “Goat Toter” (our Honda CRV that has seats perpetually covered in hay and smells a bit like a barn). This dog jumped in, trusting me completely like we did this on the daily. I checked its tags for an address, closed the door, and headed towards its home.
I decided to call it Rupert. I actually didn’t look on the tag for a name. I was more concerned about getting Rupert home. Once we got there, only a few minutes later, I opened the door and let Rupert out. Rupert immediately went for its water dish, confirming for me that we were at the right house. I knocked on the door. No answer. So, I said goodbye to this beautiful doggie, who obviously lived outside and perhaps didn’t normally wander off, and left.
It felt really good to do something for someone. At the very least I got this very adorable big dark-furred dog back to its water dish for a drink on a very hot day. Hopefully, it stayed home and took a nap.
This got me thinking. What a way to live. (Rupert) Sitting on the side of the road essentially asking everyone that went past for a ride home. So trusting, having the utmost cheerful disposition, knowing eventually someone would stop and help. Yes, things could’ve turned out very differently. I could’ve dog-napped this dog and made it my own… Or it could’ve bitten me and I’d be getting my rabies shot right now. But instead, I mirrored this dog’s disposition. I trusted with a cheerful disposition, stopped, and helped.
The owners of this sweet doggie may never know that it went on an adventure yesterday or that some strange woman temporarily named it Rupert and gave it a ride home, and that’s okay. For me, we both benefited. Rupert didn’t get dehydrated and I was reminded just how lovely it feels to be trusting and cheerful, treating everyone like longtime BFFs. Heck, it’s even a good reminder that it’s ok to ask for help. Sure, not everyone is going to stop and help, but someone will.
Mind you, I’m not saying hop into a stranger’s car. I can’t say Rupert was super-intelligent in the risk assessment department… But trust doesn’t need to be as extreme as getting into a strangers car. It can be trusting that whatever is bothering you will work out, trusting that someone or something will eventually come along to help (if you ask).
If you take nothing away from this but one thing, let it be to treat each other like longtime BFFs. Try it for a day. Live a little like Rupert.
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