That moment I had to pick between the muddy trail and the busy sidewalk

This morning on my walk with my lab mix Cooper, I got to the fork near Oak Park where I had to decide: take the muddy trail through the woods or stick to the busy sidewalk along Main Street. I figured the trail would be more fun for him, so I went for it. Ten minutes later, he found the one giant puddle and rolled in it, covering himself and me in brown sludge. Now I'm wondering how many of you actually keep backup towels in your car like I should have?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace899d ago

You just described something I've noticed keeps happening everywhere. People always think they're choosing between two things but really they're choosing between what they expect and what actually happens. Like the muddy trail seemed like the fun choice until reality hit with that puddle. Same thing with buying store brand stuff sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you get watery ketchup. We all keep making these little bets with ourselves and pretending we know the outcome.

noahmartin8d ago

Actually I used to think exactly the opposite, that you should always know what you're getting into before making a choice. But after reading this I realize I've been wrong about that. Like last week I took Cooper to the dog park even though I knew it was muddy, and I spent an hour cleaning mud out of my car seats. But you know what, he was SO happy and that's what I actually wanted. The mess was just part of getting there. So yeah, this whole thing about picking what you expect versus what actually happens makes a lot more sense now.

the_sam8d ago

Gotta push back on that a little. I don't think I was choosing between what I expected and what actually happened, I was just choosing the trail because I knew it might get messy. That's kind of the point of bringing a muddy dog on a walk, right? You go in knowing there's a chance you'll end up covered in sludge. It's not about pretending to know the outcome, it's about being okay with whatever happens. Same with store brand ketchup, you grab it knowing it might be watery but you're willing to take that gamble. That's not a bet with yourself, that's just living your life without overthinking every move.