I mean, What do people get for all their hard work and struggles under the sun? Ecclesiastes 2:22 (The Daily Life Bible)
The noisy clatter of the keyboard filled the room as I typed, trying to catch up. My workload soared off the charts. Last week I’d tuned up my schedule and gained several hours by consolidating errands.
At the end of each week, I accounted for every minute. I was wound up like a clock.
I sensed Sunrise, my golden retriever, walk behind my chair. I ignored her.
I was dog-sitting a friend’s golden retriever, Shanny, so that I could work and Sunrise would have Shanny to play with. A long, exasperated whine issued from Shanny.
I twirled around, looked, then laughed. Sunrise had formed a body block between Shanny and me; she didn’t want the other dog to get any of my attention.
Both dogs stared at me with their big, sad brown eyes. My heart ached. I’d hurt the dogs’ feelings, and last week I’d snapped at a friend. I’d been letting work consume my life and snuff out friends, fun, and even the dogs.
I stood up and scooted Sunrise to the side. Shanny barged in alongside me, and I scratched both dogs’ ears. I had some rearranging and apologizing to do, but first I put a big X on the calendar for the next couple of hours. I needed to refuel, so I wasn’t wound so tight.
Lord, when I get totally zoned out on work, remind me to use the body-blocking technique to guard relationships that are precious to me. Amen.
