Balance:

You hear a lot about maintaining balance in your life.

You should not overindulge in anything in life you love because it will kill you in the end. To a certain extent that is true if you are talking about drugs, booze, adrenaline, salt, food, and whatever else you love.

Some people are germaphobes, afraid of germs on almost anything. Some are afraid of pesticides, some are afraid of tainted romaine lettuce, others feel threatened by global warming. The list goes on and on depending on the person.

If all good dogs go to heaven, and all good people as well, why do we fear death? Why does every living thing cling to life with everything they have? Wouldn’t it be easier to say this road is too hard, I’m checking out and going to heaven?

When I seek answers to questions like this I turn to the dogs for an answer. They have been here for thousands of years before me, and surely they have the wisdom to enlighten me.

Dogs don’t have Gods that I know of. They have a love of life that is unprecedented by human standards. They don’t care about keeping up with the Jones family next door. They care about living each moment they have left and milk it for whatever they can get.

Does that mean there is no life after death? I don’t know but I do know that if this is the only life I get, I want to get the most out of it that I can. I want to follow the lead of those who have lived thousands of years longer than me. They appreciate each moment and each breath they get.

The problem with higher intelligence is we think too much. We miss our callings in life. We worry and complain about things that in the big scheme of life really don’t mean that much at all.

The dogs who are subject to the will of their owners are constrained by crates, rules, etc. but they take it all in stride. They live for those moments in time when they are free to be what we made them. And they love us with everything they have.

That is their calling, to live for those moments, and that is why sled dogs run. That is why Border collies herd, and that is why police dogs take down bad guys, and service dogs lead the blind. They do it because that is what they love, and what they were bred to be. And we… the creators of their breed and passions are responsible. It is a disservice to reject what we made them. We should help them fulfill their lives, not deny them the very things we created them for.

To deny the dogs their passion is the same as denying your own children education, College, and a real future. In return, these beast teach us that to deny our own passions is also a sin. If this is the only life we get what are we going to do with it?

There are those of us whose needle is more on the excessive side of life. We are driven by some passion, and won’t settle for less than to achieve it. I guess that is the balance between underachieving and overachieving. We balance each other out in the big scheme of life. You have to choose your side and be happy with it.

I happen to know what I’m going to do, do you?

May your trail be easy, and your snow packed and fast.