You Get What You Pet!

There's a fundamental principle in dog training: "You Get What You Pet." We have a giant, sweet, lumbering Mastiff mix who is not known for his subtlety. Whenever my husband comes over to chat or hug me, Londo magically appears from wherever in the house he was napping and noses his way (literally!) into the conversation. Without conscious thought I reach down to pet his handsome face and tell him what a sweet boy he is. Obviously, I am reinforcing his poor manners but I just can't resist his huge brown eyes and soft smile!

It occurs to me that "You get what you pet" goes for life as well as dog training. There's a brilliant admonition in the Bible, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also," reminding us to be cognizant of what it is we value and where we spend our time. Long ago I began asking myself when stressed about something, "Will this matter on my last day?" If something won't matter a month or a week from now, it only deserves a small amount of stress. If something will matter a year or more from now it gets a bit more; and the things that matter for a lifetime deserve the most serious time and attention.

Applying this criterion reminds me to keep the right things in perspective. That project at work that keeps me up at night and popping Tums during the day - more often than not it won't matter even a month from now. On the other hand, time spent reading to my children, laughing with them or helping them with homework could impact how they raise their children and what sort of lives they will enjoy. It not only matters, it can actually reverberate for generations!

Unfortunately the things that do matter are often the first things we push aside in favor of the things that don't. "Honey I can't help with your homework because I have a deadline" deserves a sober second thought. Naturally, there's a balance that needs to be struck and there are times work has to come first. But for my part it's been helpful remembering that I'll get what I pet - so it behooves me to give attention to the things I want to grow and perpetuate. No doubt Londo would agree :-)