There's a wicked little rat dog that lives 'round the corner and up a ways from our house. I have nothing against small dogs. But when a small dog also has an "I own the whole world and you're not welcome in it" attitude, a merely small dog is transformed into a wicked little rat dog.
When Chloe was living and we used to go on our daily walks, this little dog was a thorn in our sides. We never entered his yard. We always walked on the opposite side of the street, trying to give him a wide girth. Yet every day he would charge us, baring teeth, barking, snapping at Chloe and nipping at my feet. He never bit either of us, but it wasn't for a lack of trying.
There's another dog - a small dog - that lives directly across the street from wicked little rat dog. Small dog would bark at us when we passed his yard. But he was just defending his territory, and he knew where the line was at the curb. We could walk past, he would bark, but all was cool as long as we stayed in the street.
Not wicked little rat dog. Oh, no. He decided his territory included his yard, the curb, the street, the opposite curb and I've even seen him cross over and boss the small dog in his own yard! Wicked, wicked little rat dog!
We live on a dead end off of a dead end. There's no other direction to go. Unless we just circled our own cul-de-sac 50 times. That wouldn't have worked with Chloe. And last I checked, the street between the curbs is for public use ... so Chloe and I came up with a brilliant solution ... full strength white vinegar in a small, hand-held spray bottle. Turn the nozzle to "stream". I didn't want to injure him, just send him a very uncomfortable message.
The next morning when wicked little rat dog came flying down to the street to terrorize us, we stood our ground and gave him a faceful of vinegar. He yelped and retreated full steam back into his yard! Victory!
The following day we went out for our walk armed and ready. We could hear wicked little rat dog barking before we ever got to his house. Apparently he was just barking because he could sense there was someone coming up the street. When we got to his house, and he saw who it was, he stopped barking, hightailed it back up his driveway and sat down quiet and still in front of his garage until we passed by. And the same thing when we had circled around and came back by on our way home!
Some moments in life are so sweet ... you will never forget them till the day you die!
I never again had to squirt him, but we always had the bottle, just in case. Ever so often he'd forget and begin to charge us. I would just show him the bottle in my hand, and he'd stop cold in his tracks.
Life is good when you show up prepared!
So here's your assignment ... tonight before you get in bed (or before you leave the office), tidy up from today's work. Get your desk, computer, and work area all set up and ready to begin work again in the morning. Have a written, prioritized list or plan of attack for tomorrow so you won't waste time in the morning trying to decide where to start. Then go get a good night's rest, and in the morning feed yourself something nourishing, have a bit of quiet time to allow Him to center you, maybe go for a brisk walk to get the blood flowing, and then go to it.
You never know what unexpected challenges and problems will pop up tomorrow ... so show up prepared.
And if there's a wicked little rat dog in your life, have your vinegar bottle ready.
Thank you