Everyone wants a little spank on the tush…
Yes, you read that right and you know it’s true. Everyone wants a little spank on the tush, the heinie, the butt, or my personal favorite ‘dat ass. Now, you might not agree yet but stay with me.
My dog is super smart, he’s trained and knows hundreds of words. But when we’re out for a walk or about to go upstairs and he knows our outside fun time is over, he’ll refuse to go up the stairs.
I can’t pull him up, I even try to go back and join him on his step to walk together but he still won’t budge.
I’ll stand there for a second, waiting for him to comply, then I get impatient and gently put my hand on his tiny puppy tush and give him a sweet, motivating, pat. You know, like one with a British accent that comes with ‘Trot, trot, go along now’. Then he will happily start up the steps like I was asking him the first time.
Now, I wonder…does he do it for the pat? Does he just genuinely not want to go back inside yet? Is he waiting for me to turn and say, ‘oh wait, do you have to poop?’. I do that you know, if he hasn’t done his business yet and he gives me that cue that he’s not ready to go in, I usually walk him around a bit more. Sometimes he has business but usually he’s just trying to score a few more sniffs of the grass and flowers, I can’t really blame him.
But again, why does he do it? Why do any of us do the things we do? Is there someone to pat your behind and tell you that you did a good job?
For me, there usually isn’t. I just pretend it’s God giving me a sweet, fatherly, you did good — kind of spank on the tush. It’s motivating and validating and helps me to be proud of the things that I’ve done.
As adults, we tend not to have the most supportive people around us even when we think we do. No one can give us enough atta boys to make us feel good enough. That’s up to us and that’s where He comes in for me.
Yes, I must tell myself that I’m good enough, but it’s really fucking hard. Try it. How often do you truly look at yourself and tell you that you love you and that you’re proud of you? Try it now, what happens? I cry when I do it sometimes. It’s overwhelming to love yourself the way He loves us. True self-esteem and self-love. It isn’t narcissistic, it isn’t insecurity, it isn’t vanity. It’s the feeling of truly loving yourself as He loves us.
Now, go tell yourself that you love yourself and give you a little spank on the tush, from Him and me.
