Holidays come and go. Some more than others.
Halloween just passed, and I, for one, will be glad to see all those lawn ornaments coming down. You know, that great influx of skeletons and monsters that have littered front yards since the end of June when people started decorating for Halloween five months ahead of time.
Party on people. I guess they like being prepared.
Anyway. I guess I’m not the only one who will be glad to see these things disappearing from the homes of our friends and neighbors, as you will see.
I can’t get enough of this video, really. And I’m sure most of you have watched it by now. But here it is again.
This black Labrador retriever froze in his tracks when he saw the cat decorations on his front lawn. It is clear he is trying to make a decision.
One of his owners took this video of his 50-second pause. She posted it on TikTok. Since October 9, it has yielded more than 10.5 million views. It’s been on the news, too. A little bit of it everywhere.
But, the thing I want to talk about is the dog. The good boy’s name is Maverick. I’m not sure how old he is. Like, was this his first Halloween or his tenth? I don’t know. But regardless, this just goes to show us the incredible scope of animal thought.
This is not a dog being dumb.
This is a dog being brilliant.
There he was, walking along in his normal day, leaving his house as always, probably going out front to take a leak like a good boy, and suddenly he realizes his environment has completely been altered. His reality has shifted into something he does not recognize.
His reaction is priceless. He’s unsure if it is safe to move. Clearly, he is outnumbered. But by what? It isn’t like anything he’s seen before, and the sense that he relies on the very most — his smell — is not picking up anything.
I wish we could have seen his face better in the video because I can almost bet his mind is trying to assess his next move.
The other thing. The owners. I’m not sure he has a lot of confidence in them. The female just laughs at him continually (In her defense, I probably would have been chuckling, too if it had been Lou). The male finally tries to go over and coax him out of there, but that is where the video gets cut. I would have liked to see what transpired once Maverick got moving.
At any rate. I just wanted to tell good Maverick that I think he is intelligent, bright, and clever. I think he handled himself marvelously.
We could learn a lesson from good old Mav. In our own lives, when situations suddenly become foreign to us, it might be best to take our time and try to gather as much information as we can. All the while keeping ourselves out of harm’s way.
Whether we are falling off a cliff or having a political discussion with an acquaintance. It may be best to tread carefully until we are sure of our footing. Until we are certain it is okay to move forward.
Be like Maverick.
Be still. Be silent.
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The Video
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“Be still. Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity”
― Lao Tzu
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“Being still does not mean don’t move. It means move in peace.”
― E’yen A. Gardner
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“Sometimes it is the quiet observer who sees the most.”
― Kathryn L. Nelson
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Be still. We don’t know until we know.
