Pick up the Poop

Some municipalities have rules about dog soiling, but even if mine does, I live in a clearing in the woods. I could ignore any rules about cleaning up after my dog. I have Peking  ducks too and boy, do they leave a trail. Last year, we had three Labrador retrievers and four ducks. We had to pick up the poop often.

That’s a lot of poop.

My little dog, she was only 65lbs, died in January. My daughter’s big boy, he is over 100lbs, moved away. So the yard is easier to clean up this spring. I could leave it for a bit, but it’s ugly and it stinks. After a while, if left the grass will be damaged and I will have to work hard to repair it.

Yesterday, as I was doing a little bit of cleaning, it struck me that my yard is a metaphor for my life. Maybe yours too?

We all have things in our lives that are messy. Everyone has some behaviors they could change. It could be a bad habit or an old discouragement that seems to hang on and crop up in our minds frequently. Maybe it was from some past abuse. Maybe it is a mindset that you just can’t shake. It could be a sense of shame from child sexual abuse or the lingering feeling of being a victim. It may even be flashbacks and panic attacks.

Perhaps it is passive aggressive behavior, like showing up to work late. Or forgetting family birthdays. Maybe it’s sarcasm. Hurtful jokes that make everyone laugh, except the poor subject of the roast. Other things we do that are selfish and unkind just stink and they’re ugly. Gossip and slander come to mind. If it goes on too long, it will take a great deal of effort to repair relationships, if at all.

So, what poopy behaviors do you have?

When I came out of human trafficking and began my new life, I began to tackle poopy behavior. As I cared for my new baby, I would notice how I felt and how I behaved. That took a long time. It wasn’t sudden or instant at all. I had shut my feelings off for years. So, I didn’t necessarily even know how I felt or how it might affect my behavior.

A little help…

I did have some accountability, though. I used Scripture to learn how to behave and I allowed the people around me to give me feedback. Sometimes fighting them, but usually trying to pick up the poop.

By the time my children were growing up, they thought I was crazy. I didn’t like sarcasm or trickery. Straight talk-no messing around. I wanted us to be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving too. That’s a lot to ask of a family of seven, but we tried.

Even now that my children are grown, I still have poopy behaviors that need to be cleaned up every once in a while.

As I remind myself to pick up the poop, I thought you might get a chuckle out of the way my mind works.

What’s kind of things do you see as a metaphor for your life?