Winning!

My life offers me many epiphanies, bolts from the blue and similar “oh my Dawg” moments. Sometimes, they stick with me and change me for the better. Other times, I nod and smile at Life’s lovely face and say ‘ I got it’ but She usually knows better.

Winning is obviously one of Life’s pleasures. Succeeding, nailing it, scoring big…these things feel scandalously awesome and are meant to be thoroughly enjoyed and never minimized.

Recently, Ruby and I won a Best in Show at a United Kennel Club dog show. I am unabashedly proud of that.

However, I didn’t learn a damn thing.

And there’s my epiphany.

I’ve always been a bit shy about making friends with Life’s best mate, failure. He intimidated me.  I just couldn’t warm up to him. So I usually do my best to avoid him and try not attract his attention at all. A strategy which is doomed to…failure.

Yesterday, after I experienced a nice, plump hunk of dog training failure,  I gathered up the shards of my confidence. I turned them over in the light, admiring their rainbow reflections as I built my new plans. That’s when it came to me.

I have never learned a damn thing from winning. As tasty as it is, it’s just the icing on a rich thick cake that’s layered and layered with spicy sweet failures.

I think I’m warming up to Mr. Failure.

He’s starting to look like a real dreamboat.