THE LOSER… 3rd edition

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loser

image courtesy of photobucket.com

He loves to show off… He usually waits until someone is watching him before he begins to act cool, hoping to gain their admiration. He especially likes it when you tell him to his face how good he is.

He’s become such a show off that people will actually encourage him to show off his authentic skills. I’m as guilty as anyone, I do the same thing. It’s gotten so bad that I even have begun to have pride in his skills.

It’s not like they’re mine, but I do have to take either credit or blame, due to the fact that I helped him start and encouraged him in the beginning. He’s like a drug addict now. Larry the loser. He just can’t get enough of the accolades and pushes himself past the point of exhaustion in the process of showing off.

A few weeks ago there were people over and I could see he wanted to show off… again. I couldn’t resist as I stated earlier and in an excited voice I told him, “Larry”! – “Get your ball”! He tilted his head to one side, staring at me with intensity.

I continued with enthusiasm, “Where’s your ball”? – “Get your ball”!!! He started looking around in a frenzy in search of his ball. I knew where it was, so I pointed in the direction of the ball and said it again, “Go get your ball”!

He spotted it and attacked it in an aggressive manner. Right as he hit the torn and chewed soccer ball with his chest at a dead run he started growling…  He thinks that adds to his soccer prowess.

He started aiming the ball around the backyard around trees, shrubs, furniture, and columns at full speed. He let it bounce into the house, which causes the ball to bounce up enough to get his snout underneath it like a seal. He nudged it back up into the air a few times as the ball changed directions back towards the backyard, growling and barking at the ball for good measure.

“Good boy Lar”! I said with excitement and encouraging words, which makes him go that much harder at his ball of delight. The friends we had over were impressed, “Wow”! – “That’s unbelievable”! – “He’s really good”! they acknowledged with amusement. “Yeah, he’s pretty good”! – “He loves to show off”! I added with as much humility as I could muster.

Larry is not so different than the rest of us, he seeks and is gratified by the acknowledgment of others. Part of who Larry is, seems to be defined by what he can accomplish with his physical or mental skills.

I can’t say I haven’t done some things in this life for the very same reasons. As if Larry’s actions demonstrate part of the human pride condition, his best friend and companion Lola, who he sleeps with every night, shows another trait practiced by some of us two legged creatures.

Often when Larry springs toward his ball, Lola runs beside him biting his ears and neck area… She can’t play ball like Larry does… She is jealous of his accomplishments. Lola seeks attention and acknowledgment in their dog world like most of us do in our human life.

When the focus of our lives seeks to be measured in the flesh, instead of in the heart for God to judge, we act suspiciously like the creatures that walk on four legs…

And bark at the moon…