I’m not like the old song”I Am My Own Grandpa,” but I may be a little like my grandpa’s dog.
My grandpa had a small, scrappy feisty dog who loved nothing more than chasing rabbits, squirrels, or anything else that moved. One day, he went missing. The whole family searched across the 20 acre farm, calling his name and checking every hiding place. Eventually, they found him-half his body stuck in a deep hole.
He had been so determined to catch whatever critter had gone in first that he’d wedged himself in too tight to escape. He was exhausted, hungry, and dehydrated, but after pulling him out and giving him food and water, he rested for a few hours. Then, he disappeared again.
Sure enough they found him back at the same hole, stuck in the same way. It was as if had learned nothing from his first escape. My grandpa pulled him out again, but it didn’t take long before he was back in another hole, caught once more by his own stubborn instincts.
Some dogs are bred to hunt it’s in their nature. No matter how many times they got stuck, their instincts drive them right back into the same trap and while humans aren’t driven by breeding in the same way, we often fall into our own “holes.”
For some, the hole is financial-falling behind on rent, a mortgage, or bills because they keep making the same poor choices. For others, the hole is addiction. Gambling, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, each of these can be just as powerful as my grandpa’s dog chasing down a rabbit, unable to resist, even when it leads them to the same painful and pitiful outcome.
I’ve been to my grandpa’s farm many times, both literally and figuratively. I’ve found myself stuck in my own holes, pulled out, and then foolishly wandered back in again. But unlike dogs, we have the ability to choose. We aren’t doomed to repeat mistakes if we listen to that still, small voice inside us, learn from our experiences, and finally walk away from the holes that keep trapping us.
I just hope I learn faster than my grandpa’s dog.
“I May Not Be My Own Grandpa…But I May Be My Grandpa’s Dog”
I love this story and have heard it my entire life, and never got tired of hearing my dad and grandpa tell the story.
It teaches us a simple lesson. A dog is bred to do certain things, like chase squirrels or chase opossums into a hole in the ground. A goose flies south; it has no choice. However, as humans, we are given freedom of choice, and there is no reason for us not to learn and make the right choices to avoid the hole we have gotten ourselves into. We must learn from our mistakes and become better because of them.