Think About It
Well That Didn’t Go So Well
By
Pastor B.J. Knefley
I have a dog and like many, she sleeps in a kennel at night. Normally she’s not in a hurry to go out in the morning. Often, she will sit with me in my chair as I drink my first cup of coffee. This morning was different. Instead of stretching and laying down in front of the bathroom door she bolted for the back door. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as quick as her nature call and she was unable to wait for me to get to the back door. You can probably imagine what I found when I got to the door. Yeah, not one of the things I look forward to first thing in the morning or any time for that matter. Normally she doesn’t have accidents in the house and if she needs to go out, she’ll alert me, and I’ll crawl out of bed to get her out before the accident happens. I think we all know the feeling of when you’ve really got to go–it’s a mad dash to the bathroom.
For Mollie, that’s her name by the way, the problem isn’t what she ate or that she’s sick, it’s stress. I’ve learned that storms, particularly thunder and lightning stress her out. She shakes and tries to hide when they’re around. Sometimes I must almost pick her up and put her in the chair next to me to calm her down and she’s a solid 55-pound dog. I will also wrap her in a blanket to help calm her down. It’s not unusual for her to start shaking well before I’m aware that there’s a storm coming. I’ve tried other types of wraps to help her during these times with limited success. Loud noises like gunfire, firecrackers or thunderstorms are the worst. The 4th of July is difficult for her and me.
Stress for you or an animal is real. Recognizing stress isn’t always easy. Our response to stress will show up in many different forms and sometimes we’ll start responding to stress that we sense is coming even if we can’t see or identify it. It will affect our stomach, digestion, wellbeing and sense of peace and security. It is not unusual for a person to be totally unaware of its presence until they are in a downward spiral. Mollie finds her safe place in a blanket next to me. Where do you find your safe place? Think about it.