Two weeks ago, we added a small and very fluffy puppy to our little family. He’s called Kobe, and he’s what you’d call a ‘handful’.
He’s absolutely crazy, thinks everything is a game and everyone is his best friend and runs around with seemingly boundless energy - it’s hard to keep up with him sometimes!
But in the short two weeks that we’ve had him in our lives, I’ve learnt some things that I think I could not have learnt any other way.
Kobe wholeheartedly believes that absolutely everything in life is the ‘best thing ever’ - because he knows no different! It’s raining outside when we take him out? What a treat! Something spills in the kitchen? It’s an opportunity for a game! Every car journey, every person he sees, every time we walk from the kitchen to the living room and he gets to ‘chase us’ is magical to him. And it’s helping me to realise how much joy can be found in the mundane, everyday things too.
For Kobe, absolutely everything is an opportunity for learning. And I mean, everything. We’ve had to spend time teaching him to climb stairs (he still can’t go down them yet!); we’ve had to introduce him to grass and gravel and lino floors. We’ve had to teach him about night time and day time, about the sun and the rain - and even thunder! I’m excited to introduce him to snow when the time comes. And then we’ve had to teach him the ‘important’ things - his name, how to sit, ‘leave it’, lie down, high five (definitely important!). Every situation we’re in at the moment is something completely new for him, and although sometimes he can be a little scared - the car is a scary place for a little puppy - he knows that Joey and I will protect him and he doesn’t let the fear hold him back. The next time we’re in the situation, he’s always completely fine! We are always teaching, guiding and protecting him and in return, he trusts us implicitly. This has been making me reflect on my relationship with God and whether I trust Him in the same way. He’s always teaching me, guiding me and protecting me and sometimes I let fear hold me back when I could be in a situation for learning and growth.
Having a new puppy around is the most wonderful, frustrating and joy-filled adventure and we love Kobe dearly. I knew that I would be teaching him, but I think I underestimated how much he would teach me!