Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Doggone It!

Don't you just hate it when you set yourself up for someone to say "I told you so"? It seems I've mastered that art.

My husband and I have taken up jogging. (People ask if we run, but what we do is really too slow to be considered a run, so we opt for the term jogging.) People usually have one of two responses when we share that we have chosen this as our mode of fitness. They either say "Me too!"...or "uggggggghhh".

The groan usually means they cannot understand why anyone would want to put their body through that kind of torture for so little excitement. But, I also wonder if they are considering the hazards associated with the sport. Dogs for one.

Now out in the country, most dogs are outdoor pets; so, they are often left unattended with unlimited roaming capabilities. On my favorite out-and-back route near our home, we only have a couple of collies who greet us as we pass. Direct descendants of Lassie, I'm sure. Look just like her!

But dogs aren't a problem for me. I love dogs. They love me. No problem.

Or so I thought. One day after we returned from a jog, my husband told me to be careful. On today's jog the collies had been joined by a German shepard. He warned me that adding the third canine to the mix might change the dynamics.

My brother has three German shepards. I like German shepards. They like me. No problem.

A couple of days later, I decided to do a solo out-and-back. I got to the lane that belongs to the collies and noticed that we are back to just the two lassies. Or so I thought.

As I am smuggly cooing to the two, telling them how beautiful and brave they are. That they make such good greeters, I am greeted from behind by the shepard. He announces his presence to me when his teeth grab my back right cheek.

Doggone it! He told me so!

My fatal mistake? Not recognizing the presence of evil. Being ignorant of it or failing to acknowledge it does not make it disappear. I've learned a few things about the evil one since that episode.

One thing about Evil, he is patient to wait for the perfect setup before launching an attack. Evil uses the element of surprise. Pretty effective.

Another fingerprint of Evil...isolation. Evil likes to have the odds in his favor. He likes to disguise himself by blending in with seemingly innocent allies to divert our attention so that he can execute his plan.

And have you noticed, Evil does not play fair? There is no honor code or ethical behavior he feels obligated to abide by. His goal is to kill and destroy. He'll sneak up behind you and bite you in the butt.

You've been warned. Please don't make me say "I told you so."