The Dog Chaser

Many years ago, I held a job as a meter reader. Going onto people's properties to get to an electric or gas meter could sometimes be an adventure.

I remember this one house that raised about two feet off the ground. It set back about one hundred feet away from the front fence. The electric meter was on the right rear side of the house. As any seasoned meter reader would do, I checked for signs of trouble before entering. I rattled the gate, saw no food bowls or animal tracks, and called out to alert anyone or anything that I was entering.

I cautiously approached the house and remained alerted for possible unseen danger. It was not until I reached the front corner before a full-grown German Shepherd came from under the house running full speed in my direction. He was not happy with my presence in his territory.

It is truly amazing how fast the mind can think. I went through possible scenarios of escape. I could not outrun the dog, at least not in the distance required. In those tenths of seconds that I had, I was struggling to get a reasonable idea. No good ideas came to mind.

Out of time and needing to act fast, I acted on impulse with what seemed like an incredibly stupid plan. I took my handheld device for inputting readings from the meters, lifted it over my head with one hand and ran at the German Shepherd full speed yelling.

What was I thinking? At this point, not a lot.

The result of my action was more than I could have expected. The German Shepherd's hair stood straight up on its back.  It turned and ran as far away from me as it could and hid. I was able to back out of the yard with the electric meter's reading. I was able to calm down and breathe again.

We all have problems that we face in life. Ignoring them does not make them disappear. Sometimes these problems are developed over a long time. Sometimes they present themselves suddenly.

I thought about this story when I read about David and Goliath. Goliath was a big problem for David, but he ran towards the problem to defeat it.

We certainly need to be watchful of possible troubles to avoid them from becoming catastrophic. I do not mean live in fear of everything just do not let your guard down. Do not run from the trouble in your life. Do something to overcome it.

Most of the time, we will have more time to think about what to do than just tenths of a second.  Use the time to prepare a winning strategy. Talk to people that have succeeded in dealing with the same sort of trouble. Some people are not looking out for your best interest. Make sure you consult with wise and knowledgeable people.

Like people have said, "Doing something is better than doing nothing." You can always check and adjust your plan later if needed.