Dogs and goldfish.

An old friend.

I have painted this lovely dog before but when I went back the other day to look back over some of my past work I noticed a few things I was not at all happy with. I have done again on a larger digital canvas. This meant that I had to work on a larger scale and everything becomes more detailed. Where before one stroke might have done now I have had to paint each hair to create the same effect.

It is strange that I enjoy painting people dogs yet do not have a dog myself. My last dog I have spoken of often he was my companion through difficult times when I could not speak. He and I ran miles together until sadly one day he was not looking well and I had decided it was time to head home. He assumed I was going the usual route and went that way, he was hit and killed by a car. I do not think I could ever bear that pain again.

We often do things for all the correct reasons and get it wrong. Fortunately, we sometimes learn from those mistakes.

I remember being taken to a carnival where I won four goldfish. That evening I kept them in a large bowl from the home. On the  Saturday morning, I went  to find an aquarium or some appropriate container. The first few I spotted were well outside the budget I had. Then I spotted it, right in the aisle: a discarded 10-gallon display tank, complete with gravel and filter for a price I could afford.

Of course, it was dirty, but the savings made the two hours of clean-up a worthy.

Those four new fish looked great in their new home, at least for the first day. 

But by Sunday one had died. Too bad, but three remained. Monday morning revealed the second casualty, and by Monday night a third goldfish had gone belly up. 

I sought help, visiting the library to find out where I had gone wrong. a member  It didn't take me long to discover the problem: I had washed the tank with soap, an absolute no-no. MY lesson learned I went on to become a bit of an expert in the looking after fish and at one point had almost 40 fish tanks. 

My uninformed efforts had destroyed the very lives I was trying to protect. 

Sometimes in our zeal to clean up our own lives or the lives of others, we, unfortunately, use "killer soaps".  We use, condemnation, criticism, nagging, fits of temper. We think we're doing right, but our harsh, self-righteous treatment is more than they can bear. Before going down that road we need to stop, search for the right way to respond and in gentleness and knowledge proceed. 

Our first reaction to a problem either with ourselves or others is not the correct one. 

Have a marvellous day.