A quick reminder I didn't know I needed

An unexpected lesson about comparison

Photo found on Pinterest

I had a little moment recently that I felt I had to share with you. It reminded me of a truth I seem to keep forgetting.

The other day, I was out walking Fred (my dog), and we passed by a park where a woman was playing fetch with her pup. She’d toss the ball, the dog would chase it, bring it right back, and they’d repeat the game. It looked so carefree and joyful.

What really stood out to me was how focused her dog was. There were kids, other dogs, all the usual park chaos - and yet, this pup stayed locked in on his person.

And I’ll be honest… I felt jealous.

Because that’s not Fred.

He gets distracted easily, especially by people and other dogs. Off-leash? He’d run up to every stranger asking for cuddles. And fetch? No. He’ll run to the ball, sure, but he won’t bring it back. I’ve tried teaching him, but he’s just not interested.

Watching them, I caught myself thinking:

"That looks like so much fun. I wish I had that with Fred. I wish he could run free without me worrying."

But then something happened.

The woman leashed her dog and walked toward a car that had just pulled up. Out came a family - two parents, a toddler, and a baby.

Suddenly, the dog started barking like crazy at the little ones. So much so that the woman had to pick him up and say, “He still has issues with kids. He won’t stop barking at them.”

And just like that, my perspective changed.

Just moments earlier, I’d built up this picture-perfect relationship in my head, thinking that this woman and her dog had something I didn’t. That I was missing out.

But see, Fred has never barked at a child. He’s gentle with them. He’s calm. He loves cuddles from little ones. He’s a total sweetheart.

I had almost got lost in a moment of comparison, but I thank the universe for slapping me right in the face with this reminder:

Everyone is navigating the good and the not-so-good in our own ways.

No one has it perfect, and it’s completely unfair to compare your life to a small glimpse into someone’s else’s.

That woman gets to enjoy a game of fetch with her dog, and I get to enjoy peace of mind with Fred around children.

:)

Huggies

Lana