Behaving Well . . . Sort Of

An update on the Stinky Dog Story . . . 

As you may or may not recall the dog owner offered to take SuperK and me out to lunch to thank us for taking care of Bob (not his real name but if I ever get a dog I'm naming him Bob and I don't care if it's a boy or a girl.  Bob is just such a great name for a dog.  Very workmanlike.)  At this point I was so annoyed at the behavior of the owner I demurred politely, hoping that he would simply go away and leave me alone.  I didn't want to have lunch with him and I certainly didn't want to subject my wife to the outing, either.  I'm on thin ice most of the time with her as it is.

Today before the meeting he came up to me and said: "Since you've totally ignoring me on a lunch date I'd like to give you a gift certificate so you can go out whenever you want."

I equivocated here.  It didn't seem right to tell him that I didn't want to spend any time with him.  But, then again, it didn't seem right to lie.  I mumbled something about SuperK being in a golf tournament and the occasion of our anniversary and that I'd get back to him on a day.

"Look," he said.  "I know you don't like me.  That's the way it is and that's OK."  He paused.  "But I still want to buy lunch for you." 

So here's the thing: I am obligated to behave well.  There is no excuse for me to behave poorly and the fact that someone else may have misbehaved is not an extenuating circumstance.  I need to step up to the plate and behave well, whether I want to or not, irregardless of whether or not the other person is behaving well.  That's my pact with myself - to shoot for the stars as far as my behavior is concerned.  I fall short and I fall short often but I need to aim high.

After the meeting he stuck $60 in my pocket and refused to let me return it.  He mentioned how much less stressful or help was for him and especially Bob.  He talked about visiting a kennel once and how crappy the conditions were.  This is why we took care of Bob.  It was a kindness, a service, an act of selflessness, that I ruined by not behaving well, which is the only thing I have to concentrate on during the course of a day.

Another fucking amends.  The only reason that I try to behave well is because I hate to make amends.