Friday, November 7, 2014

Here At Last!


Well, it is finally here.  The end of Daylight Saving Time!  Woohoo!  I have been eagerly (angrily?) waiting for this day since March 9th when this whole mess started again for the year.  Why we have to mess with the clocks is beyond me.  I am getting my hour back that was borrowed in March, and that is what is important to me.  When God put the world in motion, He very conveniently arranged for the days to get gradually longer at times and gradually shorter at others.  It is a good plan.  It works.  Let’s just let it be.  My house, however, is governed by another type of time.  It comes with the dogs.

We have three dogs.  Zorro is half cocker spaniel and half dachshund.  Lily is a puggle – her mom is a beagle and her dad is a pug.  Charley is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.  Charley is the most laid back of the bunch, even though he sounds like royalty.  (When our son is at home, the first thing he says to Charley each morning is, “Greetings, Charles.”  I love that.)

Because of those three dogs, we operate on what we know as “Dog Stomach Time,”   which can also be called DST.  They don’t know the first thing about clocks.  Not one of them can tell time – not even with a digital clock.  But they do know what time it is.  And it is all based on Dog Stomach Time.  Here is how it works.  Zorro, Lily, and Charley get fed when they get up and they get fed when we get home from work.  We have created Dog Stomach Time.  We know it.  They get up at the same time every day and want to be fed, because according to Dog Stomach Time, that is what you do.  They start barking the minute we get home from work.  Dog Stomach Time has kicked in and it is time to eat.  Three hours later, Dog Stomach Time alerts them that it is time for a snack.  Their day is complete. 

Changing the time back and forth just messes things up for us.  But not for the dogs.  Their time is so ingrained that it really doesn’t matter if it is light or dark, rain or shine, hot or cold.  Dog Stomach Time prevails.  Don’t even try to mess with it.

I think this world would be a better place if we each were so embedded in our relationship with God that we always spent time with Him, always talked to Him, always read the Bible – light or dark, rain or shine, hot or cold.  We would all be better of if we operated on God and Me Time.  When we get up, in the evening, and then three hours later – sounds like a plan for God and Me Time.  Dogs are smarter than you think.

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12