The Difference Between "Crushing it" and "Crapping on the Patio"

TLDR; not as different as we'd like to think.

Lucy is a Dog

We have a new pup at our house. A shelter rescue dog named Lucy. She craps on my patio.

You are not a Dog

Dogs are notoriously bad readers so it is fairly safe to assume that you are not a dog. But that does not mean that you and I are immune to a malady I call the "Lucy Complex". One is afflicted with the #lucycomplex when they find themselves in a situation in which they are consistently crapping on the patio and thinking they are crushing it.

Background

When we got Lucy she was still a young pup. We have two other dogs and a dog door on our house's back door. We have a nice big back yard and a covered patio. As far as canines go, there are many worse places to wind up than being one of my family's dogs. When we installed the dog door we had to teach the first dog to use it and after that they sort of taught each other what to do and where to go (literally).

I was a dog training genius and the master dog owner ... until we got Lucy.

I had never seen this problem manifest in any of our other dogs. For whatever reason, Lucy uses our once lovely back patio as her own personal toilet. None of our previous dogs had done this and it is my understanding that it is not typical for dogs to choose to relieve themselves on hard surfaces (for obvious reasons). But Lucy is "different".

I was recently thinking about this situation and it occurred to me that Lucy is not stupid. From her point of view, she's got it nailed. There was a time in her recent past in which she would relieve herself in the house and the results were not good. She'd get smacked and tossed outside.

So what to do? After observing her contemporaries and through experimentation she found a place to go that did not result in her getting smacked: on the patio. And from her perspective what a find, right? It is right outside the door ... no need to get her paws wet with morning dew. No need to walk far. And look, a nice covered area that she can utilize to her heart's content without getting out in the rain. Yes, Lucy is thinking in her mind: "Man, I am a genius!"

Perspective

But you and I can see that Lucy has a perspective that is flawed. Lucy is running around "living the life" and I can no longer enjoy my back patio. Not only am I plagued with this problem; I have created this problem. I have a smug little dog who I need to straighten out, but the problem is now more difficult. You see, instead of teaching her to poop in the grass, I taught her instead to poop where I would not see her. I can't correct her if I can't catch her in the act. I never catch her in the act because I no longer care to hang out on my back patio ... BECAUSE it is covered with unpleasant odors.

No, Lucy is not crushing it at all. She is just crapping on my patio.

Reader: "Enough about your dog, let's talk about ME now ....

Well you know, you are an intellectual genius. A serious professional. When you do something ... anything ... it is always the "right" thing. At least, this is what we like to tell ourselves.

A wise person once told me that no matter who you are, there is somebody, somewhere, who is tolerating your existence. And it isn't easy to do that because somewhere, somehow you (and I) are crapping on their patio. You (and I) just do not realize it. Fortunately there is an antidote to this problem: accountability.

Conclusion

We all need someone in our lives that cares enough about us to tell us when we are being an idiot. And if the shoe is on the other foot; if we have a "Lucy" in our life and we have not had the time and resources to "catch them in the act" ... then may grace abound as we go about getting our Lucy back on track.

There is nothing wrong with blowing it. As Churchill is quoted, "Failure is not fatal". But pity on those of us who, possibly without even knowing it, surround ourselves with "yes men" (picture: Sting was so awesome in that movie). Never allowing ourselves to learn from our mistakes. Never allowing ourselves to be seen as making a mistake; laboring under the false gods of pride, hubris and arrogance.

Accountability is the antidote. But consider ... it is not a self-administered cure. So, the question becomes, "Who loves you?" The "yes man" or the friend wielding words that sometimes sting (pun unintended)?