It was beautiful and breezy the day King falsely accused me. When I opened the door and entered our shop, King was stretched out on the floor taking his nap. He blinked sleepily at me and saw that I was an acquaintance who had previously earned his permission to come and go at will.  

Neither King nor I noticed the metal folding chair leaning against the wall near him. But when I entered the room, a gust of wind dislodged the chair and it teetered briefly before falling across King with a metallic clatter. Alarmed, King staggered to his feet and scrambled from beneath the chair, glaring at me over his shoulder and “woofing” as he retreated. To him, such an unprovoked attack was proof that I was no longer to be trusted.  

I am not offended by King’s false accusation, and I will do all I can to restore our friendship. I understand that King is just a dog, and it is gratifying to realize that humans with their superior intelligence would never jump to a false conclusion as King did—or would they?  

Now that I think about it, I’m not sure our superior intelligence helps us much in this regard. The other day I saw two people whispering, and I was sure they were saying evil things about me. Also I left a message for the neighbor to call me, but he never did. Until I learned that he hadn’t received my message, I was certain he was upset with me. I saw a man strutting down the street and thought, There goes a very proud man. Later I learned he walks that way because he lives with back pain.  

How many beautiful days are spoiled by our ugly thoughts?  

Jumping to conclusions keeps us slim; 
We dance around a fact and grasp a whim.

From Paws on My Porch, by Gary Miller
© 2015 TGS International, PO Box 355, Berlin, Ohio 44610
Used by permission