Meet our new dog, Trudy! She is a blessing to my wife and me in more ways than just her friendship. Even though her first two years of life were harsh, I found the biggest gift she bestowed us with is the speed in which this lovely Romanian street-dog bestowed her trust on us.
She was very anxious of everything when she first arrived. She’d only had a roof over her head 3 weeks before that so everything was new: sounds, people, electronics, and even the television.
Like us all when faced with the realities of life, Trudy cowered back to the security of the things she could trust. We run back to friends, family, our pack – and gain comfort and strength from those safe havens. We lick our wounds and sink into the safety before braving the harshness of life again… but brave it, we must.
Trudy is inspirational on that front. Retreating for just a short burst of comfort, she braves the demons again, venturing ever further each time until she overcomes the obstacles around her. I for one have learnt a lot from her, especially with regards to William Edward Hickson’s wise words, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again’.
I believe all obstacles are there as a chance for us to grow, not to frighten or scare us. Remembering that is the most important thing when faced with hardships and challenges in life as it adds perspective.
There’s no question that life is hard at times, but when facing our barriers, I think we can learn a lot from Trudy’s bravery. Go back if we must, find our power, but then move on. The immense strength and power we gain from being brave is there for us to capture and grow from, but we’ll only find it by being strong enough to face our fears.
In just a few weeks, Trudy’s trust has become a gift… but her bravery is an inspiration. I look forward to discovering more about myself from being around this astonishingly loving dog, despite the hardships of her early years. (Asking her to come, to sit or chase a ball, however, is most certianly a work in progress though!)