A Dog Fight of Epic Proportions

Why do I find it so difficult to be satisfied with the condition of my body?  Why does my home often feel intolerably lacking in décor and order? I retrieved the mail today.  Thumbing through today’s post, I couldn’t help but wonder if my lack of satisfaction had anything to do with this:

What do you think?

This has led me to my most recent mental meanderings.  We are daily bombarded with images and values that may or may not be helpful ... or ethical... or either for that matter.  Or they may be helpful and ethical but, in my current state, unachievable.  In fact, it would be clearly helpful for me to have a nice new table and chairs from Pottery Barn to accommodate my growing family.  As I think of the new hospitality frontiers served by my new table (that, in fact, is not mine at all) I think I can make a case for a MORE ethical me with my new table!!  (I should rehearse this line and try it out on my husband...) Truthfully, I know it’s not in the budget. 

So I leave you with my question today.  What type of relationship should we have with our culture and what are realistic expectations for us to put on ourselves?  I’d like to think that we can transform culture by living out higher values than what media and advertising have to offer.  On the other hand, I confess that I am far more impacted by these messages than I would like to be.  I’m guilty of piddling the day away lamenting flabby abs and a messy home.  And yet I know that I could be celebrating a host of things with lasting value such as friendships, family, and faith.  I could reserve concern for the things that really matter like justice, equality, and the welfare of others.    

I recall my growing up years and my father’s frequent insistence that I had two dogs living inside of me.  One was a bad dog and one was a good dog and they were engaged in a nasty fight.  He liked to contend that the dog that would win was the one that I fed the most.  

While the larger question continues to linger, for now, I think I’ll pass on thumbing through the magazines...