My dog taught me an important lesson the other day.
Kya is a rescue dog; we adopted her several years ago from a group that saves Cavalier King Charles Spaniels from puppy mills. Not a lot of people know about puppy mills but they’re a huge blight on the pet landscape. Typically they are run by people who breed dogs for sale to pet shops.
Those cute little faces you see in the store window, wagging their tails, waiting to be adopted have a story to tell. They’ve been usually kept in cages their whole lives before being sold to the pet shop, given the most meager of food and attention, and existing only to supply the puppy mill owner with many litters of puppies.
My dog Kya spent 4 years in a puppy mill; her rescuers said when they got her her behavior indicated she’d never even walked on grass before. She was a dog used to a scarcity of everything.
However, she’s a survivor and has blossomed into a loving, gentle dog. One thing she hasn’t overcome, though, is her scarcity mentality when it comes to her food. If either of our 2 cats is anywhere in the vicinity of her bowl Kya will let them know she’s not at all happy about that.
As I watched her the other day I realized she had a lot to teach me about the stories I make up that unnecessarily cause me to become competitive and territorial.
My cats aren’t the slightest bit interested in eating Kya’s food. In fact, they’re not very interested in Kya herself, seeing her as simply a bump in the road on their way to their desired destination. Oh, sometimes they might eyeball her in hopes that she’ll play, but most often they’re focused on anything except her food.
Kya doesn’t see this. To her, they are a huge threat. So she becomes protective of her space and food. She stakes out her territory and wastes time and energy she could be using to enjoy her meal to let it be known her grub isn’t to be messed with. She doesn’t see her life could be more fun if she had 2 playmates.
I see myself and others in Kya. At times we unnecessarily perceive others as threats to our business, friendships, role as parents, etc. We shift into competition and spend time and energy on protecting rather than exploring new opportunities. We get hooked into scarcity thinking and miss the potential for greater possibilities, valuable relationships and lots more fun.
It takes courage to shift from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality. To change the stories we’re telling ourselves, and be open to more collaboration, less competition. It takes courage to see others as playmates in the game of life.
Be courageous! Warmly, Megan
