So last night I retired to my bedroom on the 2nd floor. I went to bed unusually early and within a couple of minutes my dog climbed the steps and popped her head in the bedroom and followed me in. And then she lied there nearby. I was a bit touched that she wanted to spend time with me rather than watching the TV that was on downstairs. ….
Then in the morning I struggled to wake up early … It was around 5 AM I was really tired. When I get to the bottom of the stairs I notice that my dog’s up, bright eyes and eager for me to take her out for a short walk. My dog does here business on the lawn. It’s just before 7AM and I’m ready to get back inside the house but my dog refuses to budge but instead decides to stand on the lawn and watch some birds, a squirrel, and the sunlight glimmering along the dew covered grass. And then I slow down and marvel at how beautiful it is outside. I feel a slight euphoria, it really is so beautiful and peaceful. It’s nice to see the sun so bright this early.
I get back inside the house and it’s a little after 7 AM and I’m still really beat. I didn’t get a really could deep sleep probably because I’ve been drinking too much coffee to stay up at work. I go thru the zombie motions of packing some food and drink that I’ll take to work and I look to my left and there is my dog standing there and watching me intently with eyes that seem to say “I’ll stand by you Daddy … I see you”. I mean it’s a look she’s given to me probably like any dog faithful to her “master(s)”.
But this time I’m in awe of this dog. She stands there and does nothing and just that act while I’m exhausted early in the morning totally floors me. I mean she could have gone straight upstairs to her comfy bed and go back to sleep, yet she’s just standing there. Yes I’m grateful to her, but truly I was in awe and felt this urge drop to my knees and bow before my dog.
I think who does this? Who is so unconditional? Who is just so consistently and authentically herself no matter what and so fully present? All from this tiny little creature who is so dependent upon us for food and drink and frequently does things we don’t want her do in front of us without caring too much what we think. And I feel in this moment she is vastly greater than me for simply just being there.
So for this precious moment I started to gather this appreciation of the emotion of biblical parables of how “the first shall be the last and the last shall be the first” how the strong are the weak and the weak are the strong and start to feel the need to drop to my knees and bow before a meek but immensely loving being. Truly I feel how “The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth” not so much that the meek will “conquer” the earth but the inevitable truth, gentleness, patience and caring of who they are will eventually make all bow before them.