I love Mark Twain. His sardonic humor really strikes my funny bone. He said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
Modern-day management style sums up this wisdom as: “Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”
The live frog, figuratively speaking, is the onerous task that must be done, the thing you least want to do. Eat that frog first. It is good advice, but not always easy to follow.
My daily frog is the morning dog walk. Don’t get me wrong. I love my dog, and I enjoy our walks. I know they are important to him and I don’t begrudge the time or the energy. But to be honest, I begrudge overcoming the inertia.
On an ordinary morning, I’ve had a cup of coffee and 45 minutes or so of quiet reading before time to feed the beasts and get on with it. The hard part is that first rising from the sofa, the commitment to forward motion. Once the dog sees that, there’s no turning back. The routine is underway! All hail the routine!
What makes it so difficult for me is rising to the challenge of public interaction. It means donning a bra and socially acceptable clothing. It means checking a mirror to make sure I combed my hair today. It means—gasp!—shoes and socks. And all this because it might become unavoidable to speak with neighbors.
I won’t lie. Some days are harder than others. My maternal guilt almost always wins out, though, so walking we go. I can’t really call it exercise for either of us. It’s more a daily dawdling for the dog to send and receive messages at each hydrant and utility pole, all while casually scanning the pavement for the occasional morsel of dropped garbage. Sometimes I spend the time in thought about something or other, but on most days I just meander in a Zen state while casually scanning the pavement for the occasional morsel of dropped garbage.
We both enjoy the sensory stimulation though neither breaks a sweat, and we’re back home before you know it. The second cup of coffee awaits, and I can kick off my shoes and begin to contemplate the remainder of my day. Whatever comes next, I’ve choked down that frog. The rest of the day will be a breeze.