Dear
Friends.
I confess.
I am a cynophile and you might be one too. I developed this disorder as a
youngster, and I never outgrew it. It has stuck with me for 83 years, and I am
not about to address it now.
I find
the positive thing about having this disorder is that it helps me connect with
people. Whenever I am out for a walk, and I meet another cynophile, I
experience an instant connect with the person. It’s like we have been friends
for life.
I also
learned something very interesting about cynophiles. They tend to be more open
to forming strong, lasting relationships with others, at least that’s what some
psychologists say.
I wish
everyone could be a cynophile. I think the world would be a much better place
if more people developed this disorder.
What is a
cynophile you might ask? Simply put a cynophile is a dog lover and cynophile is
simply a Greek technical term for “lover of dogs”
My dog
Maggie, a miniature golden doodle-wish I could say she was a rescue dog that I
saved off the streets- but no, I first found her in a local pet store after we
lost Sophie, my little Maltese friend of 12 years whom I had to put down.
Everyone,
including my wife Jean, told me living in a small apartment was not
conducive to owning another dog, (I had never been without one my whole
life) but one day my not so secret addictive behavior led me to wander into a
local pet store-and perhaps seeking to tempt fate- I saw her on the other
side of the glass, lovingly staring into my eyes. Instantly, I could feel the
attraction, and internalizing my little friend’s feelings, I knew she was
saying, “Tom, please take me home with you, I want to become your bestie.” No,
not really, but it sounded like it might be a winning strategy in convincing
Jean and my family to rescind their ‘no dog’ policy.
I
remember the owner of the store taking her out of that glass cage, ushering me
to a little enclosed area, and leaving her there to play with her. As he
watched our interaction, I remember him saying, “it’s amazing how she has so
quickly bonded with you,” which was his manipulative salesman way of saying,
“You can’t here without her.”
Well, six
years later my little Maggie has become my best friend and traveling companion,
and I don’t know what I would have done without her following Jean’s passing.
Now if
you are looking for some deep spiritual lesson this morning, you probably won’t
find it.
Suffice
to say the rationale for today’s Leadership Thought comes from one of my
favorite country songs called “Maggie’s Song” by well-known country singer
Chris Stapleton.
And what
precipitated the thought at 4 am this morning? It was a commitment I recently
made to a friend to whom I committed each day to suggest one new country
song to listen to in hopes of “converting” them to the country music genre.
I
apologize for the unspiritual message, but maybe if there is a message to take
home from this Leadership Thought it is this: Psychologists have determined
that if you want to be more compassionate, loyal and dependable and have
a greater capacity for empathy and understanding, and be more open and
accepting of people who are different from you, and you want to form strong,
lasting relationships with others than get a dog!
But
before you make your purchase, please take a listen to “Maggie’s Story.”
Apologetically,
Tom
music.youtube.com › watchMaggie's Song - YouTube Music
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