Runaway dogs and the power of words

On our walk this morning, Sage The Wonder Dog and I encountered my dear friends Alan and Melissa. As Sage greeted their dog, Lincoln, I recounted the story of how she had bolted through the front door and into the neighborhood a few nights ago. During her experience as a runaway, Sage stayed half a block ahead of me, turning occasionally to make sure I was still running behind. But when my son Patrick joined the pursuit, she stopped in her tracks and waited for him to catch up. Apparently, being with Patrick was more important than freedom.

Melissa said when Lincoln runs away, they get him to stop by shouting key words. In the case of this particular dog, the key words include “Treats!” “Pizza!” or “Hanukkah” (they said Lincoln knows that Hanukkah means she gets a present!) In addition to the priceless mental image of my petite friend in hot pursuit of her Airedale Terrier enthusiastically shouting Hanukkah! as she gives chase through their elegant neighborhood, the conversation gave me a bit to think about as we walked home.

What makes you stop in your tracks? What are your triggers—not the ones that set you off…we can all easily name what irritates us...what are the single words whispered in your ear, shouted from behind or flashed across a page that make you stop and think…or chose turning back over running away?

Remember when we first learned that the real reason we wanted a Coke before the movie started was all because a word or an image flashed for a split second between frames of the previews? Well, what if we put subliminal messaging to work for us. What if we intentionally identified the power words in our lives and interjected them just when we need them the most?

Do any from this list strike a chord with you?

Profits • Health • Recovery • Debt  • Chocolate • Sober • Democrat • Child • Rest • Expenses • Peace • Husband • Margins • Union • Republican • Wife • Mission • Youth • Wisdom • Laughter • Rain • Hike • MRI • Turnaround • Beach • Retention • Savings • Mother • Cancer • Pension • Father • Coffee •Executive • Siblings • Run • Stop

I’m not a psychologist, but I do know the power of words. I’m going to contemplate this for awhile. What are my personal trigger words? Why do they motivate me and do any of them need to be replaced? Maybe a few negative ones should be pulled out of my inner thoughts so goodness can have more room to grow there.

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