My one dog is extremely fast and agile. She can fly through a wooded forest like a deer. However her paws are small for her body size. This doesn't appear to be a detriment on land and may even help her with her hairpin turns but on water it becomes a weakness. She found that out the hard way when she tried swimming across a lake. She only made it out a few feet before she had to turn back realizing she wasn't going to make it across. By the time she got to land only her snout was sticking out of the water. Her paws were too small to keep her afloat for very long nor could she swim very fast. Since then she will only go in water that she can stand in. She has never tried to swim again. She knows her limits she is fine running on land and leaving swimming to the fish.
This taught me a very valuable lesson. Know yourself and be honest with yourself. Not everyone is going to be good at everything and everyone is good at something. My dog taught me that you got to know your limits and your skills and be comfortable with both. We are all unique and that's one of the things that keeps the circle of life moving. My dog accepted she was not a good swimmer. She still runs swiftly through the forests zigzagging through trees. She still works hard at what she is good at and in her mind I am sure she feels she is putting her skills to good use. I don't think it hurts her self-esteem she just does what she can do the best she can.
It helps remind me to be open to trying new things and if I find I am not good at them to accept that and concentrate on the things I am good at like my dog does. We all have skills to offer to the world. We don't have to be good at everything. We can just each play our role. Together we are each a piece of a much larger picture that is this life.
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