Last night, I made an error in judgment concerning disciplining our dog. This sparked a conversation with Kayla about my understanding of various situations in life. She said that I'm often lost and confused about how to deal with things. She said that sometimes it feels more like I'm just looking for rules or orders instead of putting original thought into new and fresh situations.
I became upset and said that if someone can't read her mind, it must mean that they're lost and confused. Once I thought about it though, I realized what she really meant. The way I was disciplining the dog was the way I thought she wanted. I had no opinion of my own on the subject. Why? He's my responsibility too. She didn't want me to just enforce her 'rules'. So it wasn't that she wanted me to just agree with her. She had put thought into the situation. She took into account what the dog had done and figured out an appropriate punishment for him.
If I had observed the situation with a complete awareness of all the variables and options, I could have come up with my own opinion of a proper course of action. If at that point, I communicated with her about my thoughts, we could have discussed which way would better get across to the dog our expectations and our disappointment in him. I lacked both the thought and the communication. I think that true wisdom comes from loving observation. Rules and orders take away the need for love and observation. I would like to be the kind of husband, father, friend and person who loves and cares enough to think and communicate in a way that is fair to all parties involved.
I became upset and said that if someone can't read her mind, it must mean that they're lost and confused. Once I thought about it though, I realized what she really meant. The way I was disciplining the dog was the way I thought she wanted. I had no opinion of my own on the subject. Why? He's my responsibility too. She didn't want me to just enforce her 'rules'. So it wasn't that she wanted me to just agree with her. She had put thought into the situation. She took into account what the dog had done and figured out an appropriate punishment for him.
If I had observed the situation with a complete awareness of all the variables and options, I could have come up with my own opinion of a proper course of action. If at that point, I communicated with her about my thoughts, we could have discussed which way would better get across to the dog our expectations and our disappointment in him. I lacked both the thought and the communication. I think that true wisdom comes from loving observation. Rules and orders take away the need for love and observation. I would like to be the kind of husband, father, friend and person who loves and cares enough to think and communicate in a way that is fair to all parties involved.
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