How full is your treat bag?

 I am sorry to say that my day did not start out that well. My allergies decided to wage all-out war with my body, so I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck. So with a frustrated mindset, I met Shammy and Dozer first thing this morning.

Mornings are not a calm time for the puppies anyway, considering the fact that they are getting out of their crates and feeling the possibilities of the day. Add my bad mood and I had two crazy, out-of-control animals who were totally unable to settle down.

After taking them out for their morning business, I put Shammy inside to take his energy out on the toys while I let Dozer explore all the amazing nooks and crannies of the back yard. Then I stepped away for a moment, taking a few deep breaths and resetting my thinking. How could I make this situation better for me and my dogs? It was at that point I had my epiphany -- my treat bag was empty.

When I am at home with the puppies, I carry around treats in a ziploc bag. In my way of thinking, this reaffirms the training I do in the fact that at any moment they could get a treat for their good behavior. It seems to work fabulously, especially at times when I need them to focus (you'd be amazed how quickly they come to realize what the sound of a plastic bag rattling means), so I keep doing it. In time, the treats will be less and less, and my verbal acknowledgement of what good boys they are will be the reward for the majority of day-to-day life.

But I'm going astray of the point of this story, because my epiphany had nothing to do with how the dogs reacted to the treat bag, but what it meant to me.

I don't view the treat bag as a distraction, or a way to solve problems, but instead as a promise of good deeds to come. Every morning, I put several different kinds of treats in the bag and my puppies never fail to give me good reasons to dole them out. I realized that this is a metaphor for life, as silly as it sounds. Am I walking through life with a treat bag empty, expecting no good things and no reason for rewards? Or am I a treat bag full kind of gal, ready at any moment for the rewards that come from greatness. Though I'd like to say I'm the latter, I'm really more of a treat bag half-full type -- not exactly the optimist I wish to be, but not the pessimist I fear becoming.

How full is your treat bag? Try to fill it every day and prepare for life's possibilities.