PERCEPTIONS: Relieve the serious drama by tearing it up

My co-workers and I were sitting at a desk with furrowed brows, staring at the computer screen. We were in the midst of a heated debate over the design of our website. Which wording was best? Which font should we use? Which color?

At the time, our family had just acquired a new puppy. Like most new puppy owners, we assumed the entire world would be as excited about our furry friend as we were. We took him with us everywhere. This is how Cha Cha wound up under the desk that morning.

As we worked on the website, Cha Cha was locked in mortal combat with the morning newspaper. It was not clear who would prevail. He approached his adversary with a menacing growl, then suddenly turned tail and ran.

Finally, he summoned the courage to go for the kill. He rushed the newspaper with gaping jaws and locked on. He tore it to shreds, flinging mouthfuls in every direction. At last, he triumphed. Now, the world could rest at ease.

I pointed to Cha Cha and said, “If God is watching us design this website right now, I’ll bet we look just like that. Here we are, obsessing over some forgotten corner of cyberspace as though the world depends on it.

Some days we accomplish more than others, but in the grand scheme of things, our achievements have more in common with tearing up the morning newspaper than with winning an epic battle.

We live in an age of apocalyptic seriousness. It is easy to get swept up in the drama, as though everything depends on us. What a relief to laugh in its face, to remember that we can approach every day as play and have a ball tearing it up.