Winning the Financial Fight…

Since this week appears to be photo week…

I was watching my brother’s Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, Dozer, last night and was amused to see him play wrestle with my sturdy Boston Terrier, Hutch.

When my brother bought the dog a few weeks ago, Dozer and Hutch were the same size. They would tussle in the backyard and Hutch, skilled in doggie play, would pin Dozer fairly quickly. Last night, things changed…

Dozer put on a good 5 – 10 pounds of solid mass over the last few weeks. Maybe he started doing pushups when no one was looking… or maybe he’s heading to the 120 pound size of his father a little more quickly than we thought.

As they played tug of war over a stuffed dog toy last night, Dozer, who had never ‘won’ before, was able to drag Hutch across the room. His growth had made him far more powerful.

Dozer, surprised at his strength, wagged his little tail with glee.

tug of war

I couldn’t help but relate this to our tug of war with our debt. Our inexperience and lack of strength made us continually lose the battle. As we grow and learn, we win more battles. We make better decisions and become stronger in our strength to spend less-save more. In the end, I want to be Dozer. Sure I lost a lot of ground in my youth… but I’m not young and stupid anymore.

I will win… eventually.

(And for the animal lovers out there – I count myself as one – please note, the dogs play wrestle together. They do not fight or cause injury to each other. They are buddies and sleep in the same bed. Just thought I’d throw that out there)

Posted by Beks on February 17, 2010 at 12:30 PM in General Debt | 6 Comments »
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is not allowed.

Newer Posts Older Posts

Keith Morris responded:
Posted: February 17th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Yes, but do your dogs understand the power of compounding?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/morrisk/4229357172/in/pool-lifetuner
mikey responded:
Posted: February 17th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
heh … funny, Keith!
Brandy responded:
Posted: February 18th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
thats very cute. i love to see pups tussling. mine do and can tire each other out quickly. its very cute they look like theyre smiling exhaustivly while looking for a place to pass out.
Clue responded:
Posted: February 19th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
As Dozer continues to grow and gain strength (and eventually maturity), you’ll start to see that he will meter his play and ratchet it down to a level that’s appropriate to Hutch’s size and abilities. That’s because he will learn that if he wants Hutch to play, he has to do so in way that allows it to be safe and fun for Hutch too, or his Boston buddy will refuse to play at all.

There’s a worth lesson in that too.
John Browne responded:
Posted: February 20th, 2010 at 9:46 am
Great article! Love the dogs and the comparison of their relationship and our own debt situation. Thank you for sharing!
Nicole responded:
Posted: February 20th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Nice symbolism there! Those are such cute pups! I better not show my boys these pictures or they’ll ant one ASAP : )