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Eating Toads


My husband returned from an informative (read: boring) lecture on retention rates and reducing no-shows with an interesting piece of advice about eating toads. What do toads have to do with counseling?

Mark Twain once commented that if you start your day by eating a toad, it can only go uphill from there and if you have to eat two toads, then you ought to eat the uglier one first.

Wise advice from a funny guy. Or is that funny advice from a wise guy? My kids catch toads just about every day and then they make a home for them in the wading pool, including complicated devices for play, food and rest. But, I'm not going to EAT any of those "pets."

Oh, you don't think that's what Mark Twain meant?

Well, I had to eat a few toads today(ewwww). I started my day off with the first toad and as soon as I completed that project, my stomach settled right down.

Midday, I discovered that I had a few more toads to swallow. I tried to postpone them for as long as I could, playing an important game of solitaire, checking the mail, getting a diet coke...and then I finally had to take a big gulp. Funny how the rumbling in my tummy calmed down AFTER I ate the toad - seems counter-intuitive doesn't it?

Delaying the inevitable only makes for extra stress for a longer period of time. Heather preaches to herself: eating toads makes your stomach feel better (not the other way around!)

Ahem. The queen of procrastination is trying to learn a lesson here. Pray for me :)

Comments

Kathy Schwanke said…
Oh my goodness Heather!! More wisdom from the upside down Kingdom!!

The toad analogy is perfect...makes my stomache feel better (?!?!?)...cuz fear or dread makes it feel worse than actually eating a toad. hmmm.

This is deep even for me...
July 30, 2008 at 3:55 PM
Tami said…
LOVE this, Heather!

And it hits too close to home--ouch! I hear ya, Lord, I hear ya.
July 30, 2008 at 4:17 PM
Tea with Tiffany said…
Pass me a crown too. I'm a queen of procrastination. And I bit crazy as I used to collect frogs. Got rid of them, but still think they are quite funny!
July 30, 2008 at 8:48 PM
Edie said…
Great analogy but Ugggh... the visualization leaves something to be desired. Ha!

My dog once picked a frog up in her mouth (just to move it back to the patio where she could play with it) and immediately dropped it and began foaming profusly at the mouth. She took off running and rolling all over the place. I called a vet and asked if frogs were toxic to dogs. The guy chuckled and said, so your dog got a hold of a frog huh? Something on the skin. God's protective measure. :)

Enjoyed your post. Blessings!
July 31, 2008 at 9:22 PM
Deborah said…
This is great and so true. Thank you for sharing.
Deborah
August 1, 2008 at 5:30 AM
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