My poor puppies really needed to get out this morning. Because of varying circumstances last week, I was only able to take them on two short walks. Needless to say, by this morning, they had a lot of stored-up energy. So, despite the heat, I decided to take them on a long hike. We started at 8:00 this morning and got home around 12:00.

On the way down the mountain, both dogs were full of energy and excitement. They ran and played. They explored. By the time we reached the bottom, however, they were both hot and panting like crazy. I took them the short distance to the lake where I gave them plenty of time to play in the water and cool off. By the time we started back toward the mountain climb, Mitch was refreshed and back into his exploratory mood. Tippy, however, was losing steam FAST!

That's fine. I understand. It was getting warmer, and frankly, I was losing steam too. What frustrated me is that she insisted on walking in front of me at an extremely slow pace. Every time I would try to get around her, she'd speed up. But as soon as I was back behind her she'd slow down again. She was walking so slow that I couldn't even take a full step. I was making little baby steps which was really annoying and tiring.

Finally, I had had enough. Determined to pass her, I sped up to a near jog and cut in front of her. I kept up my quickened pace to make sure she didn't try to cut back in front of me. What I didn't take into account, however, was that we had just reached the toughest part of the climb. For the next little while it was nothing but climbing. Gradually, my pace slowed and slowed and slowed a little more. Then as my legs and lungs felt as if they were on fire, I stopped, bent over at the waist with my hands on my knees, and struggled to take in great gulps of air.

As I stood there trying to regain my strength, Tippy ambled past me. Her pace was slow but steady. She didn't stop when she reached me. She simply continued her climb up the mountain. The whole thing reminded me of the story of the tortoise and the hare. Because of my speed, I needed to stop and take a rest. Meanwhile, Tippy's persistence and determination allowed her to reach the top of the mountain.

Speed and strength don't always win the race. Sometimes all we need is persistence. As yesterday's post stated, no matter what you may be facing, don't quit. Keep on keeping on even if your pace seems slow. It's not about speed. It's about determination.