THE WILL OR THE WAVE

You may recall the story about David versus Goliath.  Jet, my foster mom, has a preacher guy called Charles Swindoll (I call him Pastor Yoda) because he tells stories that make him sound wise. Pastor Yoda talked about this little guy called David who fought a giant Philistine named Goliath.  Representing Israel and King Saul’s army, David was a normal man and fought with stones and a slingshot whereas Goliath was over nine feet tall and had all sorts of armor and weapons.  The odds were in Goliath’s favor - tenfold. David won.

I was reminded of this story when I heard about a little Yorkshire Terrier-Poodle mix named Bentley who fell off his master’s sailboat.  Despite all odds, the dog, without the benefit of any life raft, managed to dog paddle hard enough against the current and long enough over the waves to stay alive until his humans could rescue him.  The odds were in the wave’s favor - tenfold.  The dog won.

If I were a betting dog, I’d be broke right now.  There is no way I would have put money down on David or Bentley.  So how is it that all the odds can be against these guys and they still win?  I thought about all the weeks I was living on the streets after being abandoned by my owners.  I had no real survival skills, no shelter; no source of food or water and often fought off bigger dogs while dodging coyotes.  I won.  That’s when I realized a face off between life’s big waves and a warrior’s great will often yields astonishing results.

So, here’s my lesson of the day… No matter the hardship, whether dog or human, you’d be surprised what can be done when the will is bigger than the wave.  Next time you face a challenge, imagine it as a wave and dog paddle with all your might. Despite the odds, the will can win over the wave.

Okay, the question of the day is from Piper who asked:  Dear Parker, I hate to sound like a diva but I feel so much more special when I get to wear my coat.  It makes me feel like a princess. See photo.  I know you’re friend Nokona likes to say, “It’s good to be me” but every time I put the coat on I like to say, “It’s good to know me” because I just look so stunning when I wear it.  Is this what humans call vanity?

Dear Piper:

Yes.