The Art of Picking up Dog Poop- Leading from the Middle by Martin Connie;

Author:Martin, Connie;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HigherLife Publishing
Published: 2021-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

11

No Way Am I Picking That Up!

Becoming Unoffendable

Have you ever walked into a room and smelled a mess before you saw it? Sometimes you step in it; other times you smell it and see where it landed and just, well, start gagging. Depending on what it landed on, that throw rug, towel, or favorite T-shirt may be destined for the trash can—and quickly. Even the pickup of the disgusting item will keep you gagging. In our house, whoever gags the least tends to get the vote for the cleanup duties (and that’s normally me). One night I returned from a business trip to my adult children apologizing for the missing kitchen rug. “Sorry, Mom. Dingo had a rough night. It was everywhere! That rug had to go.” Sometimes in the yard, the slippery slope of poop on the shoe, filling every crevice, has the same challenge—after a quick rinse with the hose, the shoes find a new permanent home in the garage for yard work. Other times, I’ve found the dog had thrown up all over a blanket or towel in its crate. The blanket had a direct trip to a large plastic bag with the tie-off, and both the dog and crate were taken out to the backyard with a hose and soap.

On a few occasions I have been on a walk, and one of the dogs has had a bit of runny poop in the middle of a thunderstorm or on the trail. You know the type—a big pile that oozes more than normal and reminds you of picking up mushy brown goop. Even my best attempts have left more on the grass than in the bag. After debating the consequences of my choices, I admit that I have left those piles for nature to wash away.

If we’re being honest, no one looks forward to picking up poop, whether it’s actual dog poop or workplace “poop”—an uncomfortable situation, a difficult conversation, an accusation, a snide remark that leaves you doubting your worth. The fresher the hurt or conversation, the more it sticks and has the power to drive your future perspective. For example, once after I taught a class, I picked up the surveys and saw that someone wrote that I should dress more professionally to make a better impression. That one comment drove me to second-guess my wardrobe choices for the next fifteen years.

If the “poop” is cleaned up quickly, it loses its ability to cause more issues. If we allow it to remain a little while, it may scoop up quicker, but it will leave something behind, potentially something that someone else will step in and that will cause more trouble for others. If it remains long enough, it becomes part of the landscape and invisible. It gets down deep into the dirt, and as it breaks down, it leaves some good and some bad behind. Every situation has the potential to stick as an offense. However, how long it takes to recognize and deal with it determines whether it becomes the chip on our shoulder, blind spot, or trigger for more pain.

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