Barking at the fog — lessons from Fenway

Fenway, not barking

Fenway at her workstation

So there I was yesterday morning slaving over a hot keyboard, when my CA (Canine Assistant), Fenway, started barking. Her workstation faces the big picture window, so I looked outside. Not a creature was stirring, to paraphrase Clement Clarke Moore, not even a chipmunk. But something seemed different, and then I noticed that the air seemed whiter.

Yep. Fenway was barking at fog.

She calmed down after a bit. And about half an hour later, the fog lifted. Cause and effect? Maybe to her.

To me it’s just wasted energy. And it reminds me of how often I do that. Traffic jams. Unsubscribes. Shortstops missing an easy double play. None of these things lies within my control. Yet I bark at them. Of course—it makes me feel better. Or does it?

Do you ever find yourself barking at the fog?

I’m going to try an experiment this week and not get angry about things I can’t control. A Buddhist would probably tell me that category should include everything. But I’m not that enlightened yet.

So if I get stuck in traffic—I’ll be grateful for GPS and podcasts.

If I some people opt out of my mailing list—I’ll…well, maybe focus on the growing number of people who do find value from it. If you might be one of them, click the button and I’ll send you a free gift.

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And the shortstop? Hey, I’m past getting mad at the Mets’ defensive errors. We’re in “wait ’til next year” mode already. At this point, I’m just in it for the hot dogs.

Anyway, I’m going to be more intentional about staying in the moment and not wasting my energy on things I can’t control. How about you? Give it a try—and let me know how it works out for you.

  • mindset