6 Tips For a Dog-Ate-It Day

Ever have one of those days when you just wanted to go back to sleep ... for the whole day? Well, you've caught me in one."My dog ate it" isn't just a kid's excuse for avoiding homework. It's my excuse for wanting to escape this day.Whatever my dog ate, it kept us both up most of the night last night. Of course he's bouncing all over the yard this morning, while I'm nursing a decaf and longingly watching the clock for quitting time.And there's no way I can take a day off.

Why is this important?

Because a dog-ate-it day is one of those God ordained training things. Call it Boot Camp.If you can't handle a dog-at-it day, how will you handle the really ugly things that come into your life ... the life altering ones?Jeremiah spoke about those scary kinds of days. You know you'll face them too.

If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan? (Jeremiah 12:5 NIV)

Someday you'll "compete with horses" and you'll have to "manage in the thickets" instead of the "safe country." Learn what you can now so you won't stumble then.

6 tips for surviving a dog-ate-it day

So how do you go through a day that isn't working for you?Can you arrive at the dinner hour minus the snarly attitude and droopy eyes? 1. Give yourself a pep talk. You can do this. You've handled worse things and survived. Tell your brain, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."Then remind the Lord that he has promised to give you strength, and you could really use a large dose of it now.2. Look over your responsibilities for the day. Then do the first one. Then the second. Then the third. Just do it.3. Cancel any activity that isn't a high priority. Move it to a later date. And don't feel guilty for doing so.4. Try to squeeze a nap into your lunch hour. I know, this might not be possible, but it never hurts to have it on the to-do list.5. Smile at people and avoid conversations unless needed. You don't want your dog-ate-it attitude to spill over on others. (This is one of those "fake it till you make it" moments.)6. Order take-out for dinner and go to bed early.

And don't forget the horses

Sounds easy, right? Well ... don't count on it. Most dog-ate-it days have unexpected obstacles thrown in.You don't want to stumble over those obstacles. So be on the lookout for them. Avoid them if possible.If not, deal with them graciously and remind yourself that you're learning to race against horses.Well the fog is lifting outside my window and inside my brain too. Time to race in a dog-ate-it day for me.I guess I won't get take a day off from life. *snarly grin*Susan"Jesus likes it when we share." -Adelaide, age 3: Pass this along to everybody and their brother. OK, maybe not everybody's brother, but you know ... all of your friends would be nice.Interested in more like this? See ...Dancing in the Midst of DifficultyAge Gracefully By Dealing With Your Snarly Self