When was there an obstacle in your life that seemed insurmountable?
How did you finally move up and forward?
To this point, I had been surrounded by noise. Speeding cars and honking horns permeated the box that cradled me that night on the side of the road. The puppy room always had whimpers and barks bouncing off the tiled walls and concrete floors.
And now, quiet. The man, who I gathered was known as Steve, and the woman, Hoppi, stopped the car. I was still in Hoppi’s lap, but my nose was up. Sniffing.
Where was I? Would I be left someplace again? Another crate? More noise?
She opened the car door and stepped out with me. We were in front of a brown building that did not look anything like the puppy room building. It was smaller and seemed happy with all the colors surrounding it.
“Welcome home,” said Hoppi as she followed Steve through a gate on the side of the building.
Home? Was that my name?
We walked down a small pathway and then I was put down on the ground. I just sat there and looked around. I’d never seen anything so open, green, and soft. No cars. No puppies. Just me, Steve, and Hoppi.
“Come, Roxie! Come!” Steve said.
Roxie? What is a Roxie? I turned my head to see.
I got up, sniffed the ground walked a few steps, squatted, and peed.
“Good girl, Roxie! Good girl!” Steve came over and stroked my head gently. It felt good. He smiled and repeated, “Good girl, Roxie!”
Then he walked across the soft green ground, turned to me and said, “Come, Roxie. Come!”
Say what?
A squirrel caught my eye as it ran up a tree. I stumbled toward it. Out of reach, it looked backed, twitched its tail, and mocked me.
“Roxie, come here!” I saw Steve on his knees waving at me.
Ok, I guess, I am Roxie Come. Is that my name?
Steve came to me, scooped me up in his arms and entered the building.
“This is your new home, Roxie.”
The first thing I notice were little platforms from the bottom where he placed me. And these platforms rose as far as I could see. Steve walked up to the top, turned around, and said, “Come Roxie! Come up the stairs!”
Are you kidding me?
I sniffed at the first stair, backed up, and lay down with my head between my paws. I looked up at Steve.
“Come Roxie! Come!”
Ain’t happening.
Steve came down to me and up we went, me in his arm.
He set me down and again I saw another collection of these little platforms in front of me.
We went through the same process as before with Steve going ahead and calling to me, me not moving, Steve returning, and carrying me up.
Finally, at the top of this last series of platforms, I was placed on a floor in a big bright room. There were lots of objects in the room, much bigger than me. Some seemed soft. Others hard. What caught my attention was a big wire box in front of me. It was huge! About the size of 4 of those puppy crates at the building where I was groggy.
“Here you go, Roxie,” Steve said as he gently placed me inside the crate. There was a lot of soft stuff on the bottom of the crate. It felt nice. The door was open. Steve placed two bowls just inside the door and off the soft stuff. I moved toward them and sniffed. I nibbled from one and lapped up water from the other. I nibbled some more and then explored the crate. It was the biggest box I had ever been in. And it was quiet.
Steve and Hoppi smiled. Hoppi said, “I think she likes it. Let’s leave the door open so she can go in and out on her own.” I seemed to please them.
I stepped out of the crate a few paces and squatted.
“No!” Steve yelled. He pulled me up, holding me at arm’s distance. Hoppi opened a door and out we stepped, down a long series of those little platforms.
How many of these things are in this house? I thought as Steve raced down.
We were back in the soft green area where I was a few minutes earlier. Steve placed me on the ground.
Thanks, but I lost the urge from all that commotion. But a few minutes later, I squatted and peed.
“Good girl, Roxie! Good girl!” Steve scratched my ears and gave me a little piece of food, saying, “Biscuit.”
I thought my name was Roxie.
I ate the piece of food. It tasted good. Yum!
Again, Steve tried to get me to follow him up a few stairs. I was not participating.
“Roxie, here ya go. One stair at a time.” And, with that he’d place me on the first one.
Nice of him to pick me up and place down, but I’m still not budging.
He picked me up and carried me the rest of the way, stroking my head. When we got back inside, I spied my crate, entered it, and ate some more. Then I curled up in the corner of the crate and closed my eyes. It had been an eventful day. I drifted off to sleep, content in the quiet.
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Beyond the Biscuit
For me, the first time I saw stairs they seemed impossible. They scared me and I did not move. Has that ever happened with you? When was there an obstacle in your life that seemed insurmountable? How did you finally move up and forward? Who helped you? What did you learn?
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Next Week: Comfort zones provide shelter and reflection opportunities. A place to retreat from the stresses of the world. Comfort zones an become a crutch, though. Please come back next week to read. And, thank you for following and sharing my posts. That means a lot to me. WOOF! – Roxie!
Roxie Moves Beyond the Biscuit 