This I Believe

I believe having patience gives one the best rewards in life. There is something about watching time tick by and counting down days that make dreams even more rewarding and exciting.

Ever since I was two, I was obsessed with puppies. My very first stuffed animal was a Dalmatian named Spot. I carried it around everywhere; I always knew where Spot was. By the time I was three, I even taught myself how to bark. My mom even recorded me in my crib asking me, “What does a puppy dog say?” I would excitingly yelp, “Ruff” while squeezing Spot close to my chest.

As I got older and began going to my friends’ houses, the shabby, old stuffed Dalmatian was no longer as exciting for me. All my friends had real, interactive dogs that barked at the door whenever I pushed the chiming doorbell while wagging their tails so rapidly I thought the tails would fly off. Their dogs even had ear to ear grins while jumping up trying to lick my face. These actions were what I longed for. Not a blank stare from a stuffed animal. I learned Spot could no longer fulfill my desire for a real dog.

I began to beg my mom and dad for a puppy at every opportunity. I learned the best time to beg was when they were in a good mood. Unfortunately, good or bad mood, the answer was always “not right now”. The main reason was because my brothers were just born and my parents did not need one more baby to look after. If only I could fast forward time to when my brothers were no longer babies I would have a puppy.

Since fast forwarding time is not an option, I began my try at responsibility. I looked after my brothers, did the dishes, and even looked after neighbor’s dogs. Anything that would allow me to be patient with time I engaged in. Before I knew it, my brothers were no longer babies and at the dinner table one night my dad brought up the idea of getting our first dog.

Finally! The best day of my life arrived! After all the chores and scratched out days in dark, black ink in my calendars my dream of getting a puppy was coming true.

Even though the wait was seven years long, nothing could take away how happy I felt the day I met my first puppy. The wait was worth it because the three month old Shetland sheepdog we named Lacey is the perfect puppy. She grins from ear to ear, wags her tail so fast it looks like it will fall off, and greets me as I enter my house while jumping up scratching my legs trying to reach my face to give me a lick. If I had not been so patient and demanded a puppy sooner, I would not have gotten this amazing dog. I believe having patience gives the best rewards in life.