Dog Poop

When I was four years old, we moved from Toronto to the suburbs in Willowdale. It was a change that was good for our family. There was more space and opportunities for recreation.

Not long after we settled in, I was out playing in front of our house, as they say, minding my own business. Along came a neighbour who was three or four years older than I was. He dragged me over to some dog poop, wrestled me to the ground and stuck my nose in it. To this day, my mind can still feel it on the tip of my nose. I can still smell it.

I ran into the house, burning with anger and shame. I washed my nose over and over and over. I wasn’t merely trying to wash off the poop, but the hurt I felt in my soul. I had been forced to do something against my will.

While I was young, I was old enough to decide then and there that I would wait a few years until I got older. I would be stronger then. I planned to confront this bully and pay him back for tearing a page from my soul.

The years went by. I grew stronger. He became less intimidating with each passing day. I became more confident.

Finally, the time came when I was ready to let him know he couldn’t treat people that way. I was ready and keen for the confrontation.

Then a moving van pulled up to their house, packed up all of their belongings and left.

I was devastated. I had spent all of these years preparing and rehearsing just what I was going to do and it suddenly was gone in an instant.

I wish I could say that I gained some pearl of wisdom from the experience. The only thing I learned was that you can go over every detail of something you are going to do and sometimes something else will happen that will make your plans collapse and have them vanish into the air. You just have to move on, that’s all, and not waste any more energy on it.

I can also say that the experience has helped make me who I am. I am a person who sticks his neck out when he sees indignity towards somebody. If somebody is forced to do something against his will, I step in and do what I can.

Other than that, I just laugh at the timing of the neighbour’s move.