Gratitude Over Fear

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“Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made.” – Roger Caras

It’s our day to go pick up our new puppy. I’ve found myself feeling tight and nervous, unable to plan out all the things of how this will play out with a puppy and two kids in the mix. So, I’ve indulged my brain by writing out two lists: my fears and my gratitude.

Here are the things I’m afraid of:

I won’t have time to pay attention to my kids

The puppy will be a distraction from my work

That this will be my undoing when I finally find that I’ve pushed it too far and I end up exhausted

That we collectively won’t be good puppy trainers and dog owners

That the puppy will find a box of crayons and a box of Cheez-Its, eat both, and leave rainbow throw up all over the house.

That Mr. D will be displaced as the baby of the family and won’t get some focus, not yet identified, that he needs

That I’ll have to get better at asking for help.
Or that I’ll have to let something else that I personally love go in order to support this bigger collective

I fear Mr. D’s beloved stuffy, Bun Bun, will be torn to shreds.

I won’t be able to train the puppy to understand my morning sacred time

What I’m grateful for:

That we have so much love to give
That the default for my little family is to be willing to try

The excitement that comes with new family members
That my faith and my heart tell me we are ready for this, even when my head forgets.

For the ability of puppies and dogs to love, listen, and lean in.

That I’ve worked out many of my problems in life while walking my dogs.

For the melting way that puppies and dogs look at their owners to show loyalty and trust
That my kids will get to experience that from a young age

The way that dogs can lighten up almost any situation with a wag, a toot, or a yowl.
That my kids will get to experience what a loyal friend is as they maneuver through their own growing friendships.

That being a head of family has taught me that I don’t have to figure out all the details, just set people in the right direction

That tears, anger, and exhaustion lead to opportunities for repair.

That typing out this list has made me feel better.

As I put these down on paper, I find the gratitude is far more substantial on the scale of importance. Funny how big my fear feels until I actually write it down and find it’s really just uncertainty. But I have to give it its moment in the sun, as I did here, in order to fully let it go.

Post-script: I wrote this post before we went to pick up the puppy, Cooper. Then on the way home, Miss O had Cooper in a box on her lap. She was explaining the world to him – this is a car, that is a phone, and overhead we see an airplane. And then I heard her say, “And you are something called my best friend.” I’d already dispelled most of my fears by writing out my gratitude. Whatever remained was blown away by that.

For something almost as sweet and fun as that last comment, check out the latest Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast with the amazing writer and blogger, Cheryl Oreglia: Episode 30: True Grit with Cheryl Oreglio or search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon Music, PocketCasts or Spotify.

72 thoughts on “Gratitude Over Fear”

  1. I don’t know what I loved more…the chuckle and rainbow throw up (Cheez-its and crayons – I’d never considered the combo…but I see what you’re imagining, Wynne!) OR Miss O’s introduction of the world to Cooper…most of all…”you are something called my best friend”. Mic drop! I’m full of goodness for a day…or two…or more. xo! 🥰

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    1. I’m reading this after posting my own comment, and laughed with gratitude. These were the two points on which my heart, too, most … uhm, heartily … seized. ❤

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  2. Adding a puppy to the mix is like having a brand new baby, complete with the utter and complete total love that washes away all of the fears and insecurity. My first puppy broke my daughter’s pacifier habit by eating her last one. She had fair warning that if she left it on the floor and he ate it, it would be the end—when it actually happened, she accepted it with grace. My second puppy showed me where her green crayon had gone when we went out for our morning walk. There it was—in all of its bright green glory, minus the paper wrapper. No Cheez-it’s though, thank goodness! Happy new puppy! I’m looking puppy tales!

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    1. Oh my goodness, I’m so glad you shared these stories, Julia. I’m so laughing and you’ve made me look forward (a little) to our own mishaps. 🙂 ❤

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  3. Okay, this was my favorite “Funny how big my fear feels until I actually write it down and find it’s really just uncertainty.” Until I got to the part where Miss O was teaching puppy about the world and came to the last li e, that puppy is her new best friend! 🤩🥰🥰😻😻

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  4. You have offered a short course in how to talk back to catastrophic thoughts. Brava! I bet you helped some of your readers in showing them how! Cooper is a lucky dog to enter such a family.

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  7. I love everything about this post! I love the willingness to face and name both the gratitude and the fear, to embrace the fullness of ambiguity, to lean into the new.

    I laughed at the prospect of “rainbow throw up,” and my heart sighed a deep “aaaaaaaw” at the “best friend” statement. At a less granular level, my heart is fuller and my day already brighter, that this post was part of its beginning. ❤

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    1. I love that we were on the same wavelength…same with Todd (below). Such fun! Let’s hope for Wynne’s sake the rainbow throw-up business is just a worry…not a reality – LOL!

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      1. I have to confess that some version of the rainbow throw up is why a friend of mine got a re-homed lab after he was the culprit for eating both. The young family that previously owned him agreed they couldn’t be good dog owners. I’m hoping we do a bit better – or at least take it in stride. 🙂

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      2. Oh my goodness…this was a true tale (or tail)? Wow. I think you three plus Monsieur Mini-Cooper are going to have your own adventures…but for safety’s sake…don’t buy Cheez-its for a while. K? 🤣

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  8. Ah – that post script story!! So sweet! I sure hope that Cheezeit & crayon thing doesn’t happen but if it does- please take a pic! 😜
    Congratulations on the new puppy!🎉 And regarding your list of fears- asking for help is a good skill/quality to have- don’t fight it!

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    1. I’m laughing about the picture, Todd. Yep, I’m on it if it does. I already ran my phone out of battery in the first hour of having Cooper!

      Great point about asking for help. Thank you for the reminder, my friend!

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  10. I should stop reading other people’s comments. They always say things so more eloquently than I ever could. First, I agree 100 percent with Dr. Stein: you’ve just given me an example on how best to talk back the “crazy the world is coming to an end” worries that I sometimes have. Love how you did that. Wow! And secondly, I love what Vicki said about Miss O’s description of the world to Cooper. Oh yes, definitely a Mic Drop moment!!!! You guys are going to do great. Cooper is one lucky pup!

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  13. Reading your stories about the new puppy has taken me back to our new puppy days – and I’d say your lists are right on. As an aside, after our last dog died, I said no more. So, we didn’t get another dog – we got two, lol

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    1. You said it perfectly, Mark! And that was just day 1. Where do we go from here? 🙂 ❤ I think they also say in Hollywood never to work with children or dogs because they'll outshine you every time. Same with blogs… 🙂

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  19. I love this sentence “That my faith and my heart tell me we are ready for this, even when my head forgets. “I can’t wait to read about the adventures that await your family. I admit I laughed out loud about the crayons, and the Cheez-its, it will happen, and you will be upset, but one day be able to laugh about it

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  21. Your post script made my heart overflow through my eyes. What a sweet moment of connection and love. 💞 I love how corralling your fears onto the page and chasing them with a gratitude list helped keep them from running wild and taking over! 💞

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  22. Cooper! Oh he’s going to make it all come together in your family in a spectacular way. I appreciate how doing all that you do that you could be worried, but you’ll see. It’s going to work out for the best.

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  24. Oh these are such thoughtful comments, Wynne. It goes to show just how much you care about your kids, your family life and every detail in your life.

    I have a feeling many of these concerns will be for naught and your kids and you and Cooper will absolutely mesh well together and find new joy and memories together.

    Good luck with your first weekend together!

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    1. I love how you use the word “mesh,” Ab. Thank you for the thoughtful comment. So far, so good! Hope you all are having a great time on your trip!! 🙂 ❤

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  25. Oh my goodness, tears, at Miss O’s observation. 🥲
    Damn the list of doubts, put it to the back. The gratitude list shines brightly and that is where you’ll all be. Loving a dog is one of the best kind of loves to learn true generosity and friendship. Miss O already has it down. Enjoy!!! 💕🌸

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    1. Oh, Alegria. What a beautiful comment – which coming from you is no surprise. Thank you! I agree “Loving a dog is one of the best kind of loves to learn true generosity and friendship.”

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  28. Such a fabulous post Wynne, your new family member sounds adorable, and clearly he has bonded with the children! There is something about the loyalty and unconditional love that dogs gift the family that’s irreplaceable. Mr. Cooper is one lucky pup. Enjoy Wynne. Hugs, C

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