Trust

"Someone who thinks the world is always cheating him is right. He is missing that wonderful feeling of trust in someone or something." Eric Hoffer

He is the most magnificent Golden Retriever I have ever seen. This big, beautiful boy had a very rough start in life. Humans abused his trust and hurt him, and he was rightfully afraid. Under the care of his new doggy daddy, he has gone from scared to cautious, and now he is blossoming. He holds his head high as he walks along, those beautiful feathers on his tail swishing in the breeze. He is learning that the world is a wonderful place, with lots more good stuff than bad. He is learning that people are kind, with lots more good people than bad. He is learning to trust again. He is becoming a very happy dog.

We deny ourselves a lot of happiness when we won't trust. We walk suspiciously through life, head down, shoulders hunched, muttering under our breath. Not trusting says more about us than about the object of our distrust. When we say, "I don't trust him," what we often are saying is, "I don't trust my ability to deal with it if he lets me down." As our confidence in our ability to handle the rough patches in life grows, so does our willingness to trust. When we know we can bounce back from disappointments and hurt, we become much more willing to take the risk to trust.

And it is a risk to be vulnerable and trust. It is exhiliarating, however, when we trust and our trust is rewarded. I guess it comes down to this. Do we want to blossom, like my friend the Golden Retriever? Then we need to move from scared to cautious to trusting, knowing full well that whatever happens, we will be fine.

Susan