Today, I was walking in the fields.
Oreo, my black lab, joined me as I rambled along in dialogue with the Lord. She doesn't mind a bit of benign neglect as I amble along, as it gives her free rein (literally, no lead, no rein on her) to wander the fields.
As I climbed over the stile into the field, I spotted a stick, the perfect size for fetch. I didn't come out here to play, I came to pray. And yet, perhaps the Lord wouldn't mind a bit of both. I do a quick spot check, trying the idea on Him, and as I feel no divine objection. I snatch the stick from the ground, waving it around to catch Oreo's attention.
At first, she seems surprised. She was already exploring the myriad smells in the grass. Somewhat reluctantly she leaves her occupation and trots over to me.
I throw the stick for her. She runs after it for a few steps and then is almost immediately distracted by what must be an enticing smell for her, as she veers off to her right, leaving the stick neglected and alone on the damp grass.
I walk over and pick up the stick. Hey. Come here. Look. You love this. Are you ready? Are you ready?! As I rile her up, I believe I see a flicker of remembrance behind those eyes. I throw it again. This time she is off like a rocket she grabs the stick and joyfully returns it to my feet. Dancing around, occasionally lunging toward the stick playfully, as if to urge me to throw it again before she grabs it, carrying it away herself.
I can she she is now fully engaged and she loves it! I throw it a few more times, and she chases it down and brings it right back. Then, a funny thing happens. I pull my arm back to throw it, and she darts off full speed, but in the wrong direction. She wrongly anticipated where it was headed. As it lands off to my right, she is off to my left. She completely misses it and runs franctically back and forth trying to find it.
I mutter to myself as I stomp off to retrieve the stick. I pick it up and call her. She runs over to me again, dancing around and waiting for me to throw it.
I pull my arm back and she's off, but, again, in the wrong direction. But this time, I'm watching more carefully and I don't throw it immediately. I wait for her to turn her head back toward me, and then I release it in the opposite direction. She pivots like a cheetah and scampers back across the field and full speed toward where the stick is headed. The stick is on the ground for mere moments before she scoops it up on the run and brings it back again.
We repeat this pattern a few more times, until I notice a subtle change in her behavior. She still anticipates where the stick will be thrown, but now she is streaking away from me with her head fixed back over her shoulder.
She is eager to play. She is eager to run. But now her eye is fixed on the master.
It just works better that way.
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