Feed a Man a Fish and Other Wisdoms To Get You Through the Tough Times

Hello friends! Peanut Pumpkin Pie here to share a little of my puppy wisdom during one of the most stressful seasons of the year ~ tax season! It's been a while since my last post, mainly because we have had some hardships in my family that have kept me preoccupied. My grampy got sick, we lost our sweet Happydog, I got really sick, etc. Needless to say, there was a lot to make us feel like we had been sent to an un-fun dog house with an empty water bowl and a too-short chain.

There is a lot of advice out there in books and on the web on how to deal with those tough times in life, and there are more slogans than you can shake a stick from your yard at. I have a few favorites that I go to from time to time like:

1. Don't worry, be a silly billy.
2. Just do it!......as long as your mommy says it is okay first.
3. Turn a frown upside down by standing on your head. The sudden rush of blood flow to your brain will make everything seem better.
4. The art of being happy lies in finding just the right nom on the floor.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Sometimes though, fun slogans aren't enough. You need something deeper. Something with a little more meat and mashed potatoes to it. At those times, I turn to words of wisdom.

There is a saying from ancient times about happiness and how to find it. It is a saying which still rings true in this modern era of ours the way that timeless wisdom has a tendency to do. It goes like this..........

"Feed a man a fish, fill his tummy for a month. Give a man a squeaky fish, and bring him happiness for a lifetime." I know.......it's pretty heavy stuff for a pumpkin to share, but the message is important. Wait a second........

My mommy is trying to tell me something very important related to my post. Give me a second....

Okay.....Mommy just told me that is not how the quote goes at all. In fact, I am not even close. But, since my version goes along with my wisdom of the day.......

We are going to roll with it! So back to my story......sometimes the secret to finding joy in life is looking for it in the simple pleasures around you and taking the time to enjoy them.

After all, never underestimate the power of a squeaky fish to bring joy and joyness to all who encounter it. In fact, squeaky toys and play in general have the power to transform a tough time into something magical. I will show you what I mean.......

Today, my grampy was working on taxes and other stressful things. I could see from the look on his face, he needed my help. He needed the power of squeaky toy joy.....and me. I brought him two of my favorite squeaky toys (my fluffy pink poodle dog and my little forest frog) and placed them on his arm. He didn't notice. He was too stressed.

I tried calling his attention to the squeaky frog (a personal favorite of mine) thinking perhaps grampy just needed some encouragement. Still no response. He was too stressed.

I moved the squeaky frog from his arm and plopped it on top of his keyboard. Everyone knows it is impossible to resist a happy smiling squeaky frog on their keyboard. Right?

Apparently, sometimes they are resistible. I knew it was time for drastic measures. It was time for a full blown puppy intervention!

Sometimes happiness needs a helping paw, and that is just what I gave to my grampy today as he worked on his taxes. I saw he was stressed and needed some happy fun time. And boy did I make sure he had it!

All my grampy needed was a little encouragement and the next thing I knew, he was having the time of his life squeaking the squeaky frog with me.

He was so happy in fact, I got scratches for my efforts.........

Mommy said I did a good thing in helping grampy today de-stress from a stressful situation and finding a happy moment in the process. Sometimes the joys in life are few and far between.....at least that is what it may feel like, but they are there. All you have to do is look for them.

Okay, so maybe I can't guarantee that a squeaky fish or frog will make everything better all at once. I can't even guarantee they will make you smile the way they do me. What I can promise you is that looking for the little joys in life is the most worthwhile effort you will ever make. Those little joys can get you through the tough times when nothing else will. Whatever the little joys are to you, I hope you find them. In my terms, and from my heart, I hope you find your squeaky fish when you need it most. Love you!

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