Cherry on Top · A Story to Explore
BEST. DAY. EVER.
One rally ring. One toy. Two very different experiences.
The Story
Kiska was an Akita with an enormous personality. She loved people, adventures, and any opportunity to be the center of attention. Jenny loved her dearly, and together they competed in rally obedience.
One day, during a competition, Kiska spotted a toy in the ring. Rally involves following a course of signs and performing exercises together. Picking up a toy and throwing yourself a party is generally not one of them.
Kiska disagreed.
She grabbed the toy. She pranced. She danced. She tossed it into the air.
BEST. DAY. EVER!
People watching began to laugh. Jenny was mortified. She was a rally instructor. What would everyone think of her? Afterward, Jenny sat down, put her head in her hands, and cried. She felt like a failure.
Meanwhile, Kiska had just experienced what might have been the greatest moment of her competitive career.
Same dog show. Same moment. Two completely different experiences.
Jenny didn't suddenly realize how wonderful it all was. It took years before she could look back and see Kiska's magnificent joy instead of her own embarrassment. Years before that memory could make her smile instead of hurt.
The toy hadn't changed. The audience hadn't changed. The event hadn't changed. But something in Jenny's understanding had.
Today, she wouldn't trade that memory for a perfect rally score. Kiska was having the time of her life. It just took Jenny a while to join her.
Through the Traveler's Lens
Have you ever experienced something that felt embarrassing at the time but became a funny or treasured memory years later?
What actually happened? What did you imagine other people were thinking?
How much of the experience came from the event itself, and how much came from the story playing in your head?
What if some of the opinions you've been carrying around were never yours to carry?
If you could revisit one experience with a little more curiosity, what might you notice that you couldn't see before?
A Little Borrowed Belief
Jenny couldn't see Kiska's joy that day. She was too busy worrying about what everyone else might think. But years later, she could.
The experience hadn't changed. Her relationship with the memory had.
Sometimes Becoming gives us a new way to look at an old Rock. And sometimes that new perspective creates a little more freedom for the Adventures still ahead.
Perhaps there's an old memory somewhere in your Backpack that might look different today. No need to unpack it right now.
Kiska would simply like you to know that, in her professional opinion, unexpected toys are excellent. Especially when they come with an audience.