Sunday, November 1, 2009

I Refuse to Answer That Question...

I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer. Douglas Adams.

I recently felt just like the above quotation. Even though I am a professional problem solver, there are some problems that absolutely stump me. Of course, I never said I was a dog expert as well...

I felt as though I had been dropped on the set of the Marley and Me movie and didn't know how to get back to my ordinary life. My daughter called me at work to inform me that my dog had gone psycho and destroyed everything she could get her teeth into in our pantry. My daughter's exact words were, "There is so much torn up stuff, that I am up to my ankles in trash." I could only imagine. Her next words were no more encouraging, "She is still panting, pacing and trembling so, where do I put her when I leave for my doctor's appointment?" Going for preventive damage control, I suggested the back porch. Arriving home from work, I discovered this was not a good choice. Not only had she torn up more stuff, she had neatly shredded the door frame. A call to the vet was no help. He suggested more exercise and a rawhide chew since she must be bored. Somehow 'bored' in my mind didn't equate with panting, trembling, pacing, destroying everything in sight. Besides, she has been home alone while I work 5 days a week for 6 years. Why the sudden boredom? I talked to everyone I know about the situation and they all had ideas to try: crate her (we did and she nearly destroyed the crate), give her Benadryl (no noticeable effect), give her lots of attention (the weird things is...she hardly likes to be petted normally). Eventually, after a couple days, she just calmed down and life returned to normal. So what was the solution to her panic attacks? I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that.... I don't know the answer.

I am reminded of the lesson Job learned when he was visited with a lot worse disaster than a psycho dog. He and his friends tried their best to figure out the situation and tried out various solutions. What did they come up with in the end? Job finally confesses to God, "You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' I spoke of things I did not understand and things too wonderful for me to know." Job 42:3 Maybe God occasionally feels the need to send us problems too complex for us to solve, just so we will remember who we are, who He is and the mystery of that relationship.

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