The Spiritual Necessity of Dog Poop

Morning is my best time to write. It’s a great time to do the cryptic crossword puzzle, too... or start on a housecleaning chore that will take me well into the afternoon. So, best to just sit down and start writing. I’m still a bit embarrassed by my writing. I shy away from anything too ambitious, I worry over what others will think: too academic and stuffy, or too naive and clumsy? My daughter helps me cut through the crap.

She told me all about inventions while we were out walking the dog one day. Apparently, every path in life has dog poop on it here and there, and if you never step in the dog poop, you’re not an inventor.

These are words to live by. How sad and how boring for the people who never step in the dog poop! There it is, so generously strewn across their path, but – ew, I can’t get my expensive boots dirty, or ew, I won’t look very hip if I step in that. All those unwritten social rules that keep us all in our place, and stop us from changing anything. Always look acceptable to others. Never make a mistake. Avoid bad smells. Thank god, at the end of the day I won’t be able to say “Hurrah! I made it all the way along my path and never learned a thing!”