When I first saw this picture I laughed because I could so easily relate to the dog. There are so many times that there are things that I must do but that I don’t like. Avoidance and procrastination are my usual tactics, and they allow me to put off what needs to be done. I say all this because it was my dog Bailey that inadvertently reminded me of a valuable lesson. You see, Bailey hates water as well, and despises rain. She hates going outside if it means she will get wet.
While pondering what I should do I was reminded what I had learned from the Disney movie “Mary Poppins.” In it Julie Andrews sings a song “A Spoon Full of Sugar” and the lyrics remind us “in every job thatmust be done there is an element of fun.”
The result is the fun aspect, which represents the sugar, makes the rest of the task, the medicine, less intolerable. Bailey now likes rain and baths because she knows she will get a special treat if she cooperates.
There is a lesson in this for people as well. Finding the sugar in every task is the key, something that makes the rest of the task tolerable. If we don’t…., like that dog, we will ever remain stuck with necessary things undone. Time to jump right in and find the joy in the moment, the sugar that makes the less pleasant parts of life more enjoyable
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