Ole Miss Jackson

Last night I took my trusty dog to the woods and we built a fire. Moments like this are why I got Miss Jackson back in 2002. For whatever reason, having a unflappably loyal companion who lives to be invited was and is something I love quite a bit. Isaac and I shot a video last night and as I drove home I started thinking about ma' dog. We were in a pretty good sized woods, right beside a big pond. Miss Jackson loves to sniff, explore, swim and she's even been known to roll around in poo. We were in her paradise last night. The funny thing is though, she stayed within a five foot radius of me the entire time. If I left the fire to go check out the pond she was right in tow. Same thing when I went back to the fire or to the car to get something. And it's not like she's scared. At one point during the shoot she charged off after a wolf-esque dog on a walk. After a few snaps and whistles she came back and laid down by Isaac's bag.

I don't write all this to brag about how good my screwball dog is. It was just interesting to me that she had free reign in a doggie dreamland, a place where I honestly wanted her to run off and discover the world for awhile, and yet, she was certain that wherever I was going was her best option. Sure those woods may have loads of exotic poo to eat and marinate herself in, but she was more interested in sticking close. That made me feel good (in a healthy way I think). It also made me think about God.

I wonder if God feels "good" when I choose to stick close to him. I wonder what it does for him when my actions prove that I'm certain wherever he's going is my best option. Will he take me to better places as a result of my trust? Will he invite me and include me more often? Will he have confidence to take risks with me that he didn't years ago? I'm not really sure. I'm also not really sure I have that level of trust. Do I really believe that where he's going is better? Do I live to be invited? Did my rubberlegged dog teach me something last night? Indeed she did. She's a good lil' dog.