Little Miss Tipsy

The other evening my wife and I had supper with some friends at their house.

As we were finishing our meal, our friends’ son and daughter-in-law stopped by to drop off their dog for the weekend, while they went out of town.

Little Miss Tipsy. Part dachshund and part something else, she sure was a cute little thing.

Now, you may not know this about me, but I love dogs! I really do! And anytime I get to interact with a dog (in a fun and friendly way) I’m just a couple of steps away from heaven!

I love dogs.

Maybe I came on a little too friendly with Tipsy, maybe not. But she would not let me get close to her all evening.

Until we were ready to leave.

Then, all of a sudden, I’m okay! She let me take her picture, rub her ears, and scratch her belly. Fear gave way to trust.

People are kind of like Little Miss Tipsy. Come on too strong to someone you just meet, and it becomes fairly difficult to build trust. People are wary of someone who comes at them with a hidden agenda, even if there really isn’t one.

But if you’ll take the time and just visit with someone new, keeping your “hands” to yourself, people will be much more receptive.

See, my attempts to get Tipsy to like me was more for my benefit than hers. I had a need to play with her. That was my agenda. She wasn’t ready for that. So she kept running from me.

If I’ll remember Little Miss Tipsy the next time I meet someone new, and keep my need to be liked and noticed in its rightful place, I will have a better chance of gaining a new friend.

And that’s just a couple of steps from heaven.