Barking back.

Have you ever noticed that when you walk a dog on the street, the dogs who are trapped in their yards bark, but the walking dog never barks back?

The dog in the yard is jealous of the dog who is out there walking down the street with her person, trotting down the pavement, sniffing the breeze, stopping to leave a mark here and there. The dog in the yard barks displeasure at this free and loose dog of leisure passing by with barely a sniff in his direction, off to the next smell, nails clicking on the street like a woman in high heels.

The dog in the yard barks, wished he was the one out there walking. The dog in the yard looks out, and ignores the fact that he is in a yard, and not a kennel. The dog in the yard barks, ignoring the fact that he is in a suburban yard and not on the urban streets. The dog in the yard barks, ignoring the fact that he is steps from the door to a warm home where he will receive food, affection and a place to sleep. The dog in the yard is a fool.

How much time do we spend barking like dogs, staring at what we don't have and wishing it was us? How much time do we spend focused on what is beyond our yard at the expense of ignoring what is there? How many of us are so focused on what the other dogs are doing that we fail to realize how lucky we really are?

Stop barking. Start appreciating your own yard. I mean to.