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It isn’t about having everything. It’s about having the right things. Earlier this week, my daughter came home from work (she is a dog bather) with a brand new toy for Koda. I was skeptical at first because the heathens had always preferred trash and sticks to actual toys unless they’d destroyed the toys and turned them to actual trash. So, either it is pretty and cool and they ignore it, or they obliterate it.

You can see the toy in the photo below. I’m not doing a product review, but I will provide some information. This toy is a . (See photo below for it in action.) The Tug-O-War is a double-ring about two or two and a half feet long. As far as toys go, it fits well into his mouth. A lot of toys are too tiny and end up rubbing against his lips or banging against his cheeks. The Tug-O-War has a fluffy touch, which I’ve been dubious about, but it’s still surviving. Each ring has two squeakies, and at least one of those hasn’t been crushed yet, but they aren’t very loud. That’s a positive. And it is blue, which you know by its namesake, but it’s really more like blue kinda-camo, with streaks of gray and black. The coloring is important to me. It means this toy will show up in grass. (Dogs see blue but not really green.)

Koda parading around with his new joy.

Does Koda love it? Hell, yes. I had no idea how much he would dig the Tug-O-War. He constantly brings it to me shaking it around and hoping play fetch, and he loves to show off his head-swinging, flesh-ripping abilities with that cute little fluff-ring.

Total aside, my family is in the process of selling the house and looking for a new place to live. That means decluttering, carpets being replaced, and things being put into storage. It makes my wife wonder how we accumulated so much stuff. You really start to ask yourself what is junk and what should be kept. You make sure that what is being moved from one house to the next is the right thing � it fits you and your lifestyle. This kind of talk always makes me think of the expression, it’s not having what you want but wanting what you have. (Coincidentally, I only hear Sheryl Crowe in my head singing that line cause I’m gonna soak up the sun.)

Koda WANTS what he has. He’s a dog, so he doesn’t have much, but that toy is at the top of his list. It brings him utter joy, and it makes me think I can do better about wanting what I have, about asking whether or not something really adds to my life or my joy. I think that’s something to improve upon. Wanting what I have, and being more like my dog.

Hey, thank you for reading and I hope you’re enjoying my posts. I write the Zombie Dog books, which you can find both digitally and paperback. I also have a Patreon account . Supporters get perks like reading my short stories for free.

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