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Perspective: Making Decisions Like A Border Collie

Connie Seraphine
Cap the Border Collie "shedding" two sheep.

A few years ago, a friend and her son, Ben, visited our sheep farm. My husband did a sheepherding demonstration with our border collie Abbie. Ben watched from our second-floor deck, cell phone in hand, describing to a young woman he was dating how Abbie was separating a couple sheep from the flock, a difficult “shedding” skill. Listening, Ben’s girlfriend visualized the action of our confident herding dog. It sparked her decision to “shed off” another relationship in order to be with Ben. Presently, this couple is expecting their first baby, my friend’s first grandchild.

What is your story about making an important decision about your life? Perhaps it was which job to pursue, or which person to marry, or when to move or retire. Weighing the options, struggling with the pros and cons, seeking out trusted friends, wishing someone would just tell you what to do can all be very tiring.

Mental gymnastics are certainly important to stimulate the brain's cognitive connections. But at some point, your mind needs a break in order for something unrelated that you hear, see, or read to spark a resolution. Often this spark is in the form of an image or metaphor.

Hard mental struggling, followed by a time of quiet mental abstinence, can allow a creative insight to emerge, sparked by intricate neural connections which our Creator endowed us with.

I’m Connie Seraphine, and that is my Perspective.

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