When You Find a Toad in your Dog's Water Dish

The other day, upon leaving the house, I found a surprise by my front door: a toad in my dog's water bowl. I burst into laughter as I saw his delight, his brilliant ease from the day's strong heat.

Just the day before I'd felt a pang of you should clean this bowl as I walked by the water dish - one thing on the never ending list of things those worried places inside can fixate upon.

But my toad friend gave me a new perspective, and much needed gentling towards the places that feel like they're falling short. The rest he found in the bowl is the rest I found in my mind. Thank you, my friend, my toad.

When You Find a Toad in your Dog's Water Dish by Karly Randolph Pitman

As you lock the front door
you spy the small brown toad
resting in your dog's water dish.
You smile, try not to frighten
his blinking eyes as you tiptoe past.
Just yesterday you looked at
the green scummed water
and vowed to scrub the bowl clean.
But today it's haven for a toad.
You like to imagine his delight
as he discovered the slimy
bowl, his relief as he cools
his body in the noon heat.
You laugh at his silent repose,
your entire day rearranged
by his joy. When you see
the bowl, you see one more
loose end, what you can
never gather
to your mind's demands.
The toad sees rest, a home.

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With a grateful heart, Karly