June 17, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Tuesday, June 17.
My neighbor has a big white dog whose name, surprisingly, is “Whitey”. He’s a Great Pyrenees and weighs in at around 150 pounds. My neighbor knows that Whitey is his dog. I know that Whitey is his dog. Someone, however, has forgotten to inform Whitey of this. Whitey spends most of his time at my house.
I’m a dog lover, so that’s ok. Whitey is a good dog, except for his practice of chewing on anything that isn’t nailed down. He has devoured a couple of my shoes, ate a book that I was reading, and has shown a particular fondness for Amazon parcels. I talked to the Amazon guy, and both of us have learned not to leave anything where Whitey can get at it.
Last Sunday evening, I was sitting on my front porch, enjoying the unseasonably cool June weather. Whitey, of course, was laying nearby. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet and started to violently rotate in a tight circle. At first I thought he was having a fit. Then I realized he was just chasing his tail. Almost caught it a couple of times, which gave him the motivation to continue for a good two or three minutes. Finally, he gave up the chase, collapsed back onto the porch, and seemed to completely forget what had just occurred.
I, however, was moved to consider how “chasing your tail” is a phrase - and a practice - not only associated with dogs, but with people, as well. The idiom refers to a pointless, unproductive pursuit. One of these “tails” that I have pursued at various times in my life . . . is bitterness. The practice of harboring grudges and holding on to real or perceived slights is a temptation for many of us. From time to time I admit that I have given into that temptation. But then I remember the quote - “Bitterness is like swallowing poison and expecting the other guy to die”.
Here’s another memorable quote, this one from Ephesians 4:31-32 - “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you. Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ Jesus forgave you.”
Bitterness. Pointless. Unproductive. Like chasing your tail.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
