Picking Your Battles

The American Civil War was the one and only occasion when two immense geographical regions of this nation found themselves at war with themselves. Each side assured itself that God favored their particular cause, and by the time the war drew to a close something just short of a million men had sacrificed their lives; the result of bullets and bacteria. 

Among dozens of military notables, two men are best remembered for their leadership of that cruel war. 

Generals Lee and Grant

It has been said that one or the other of the two would often send out scouts who monitored the comings and goings of the other’s troops from this or that mountain top. And when it was discovered that, at any given time, the demographics for a battle weren’t conducive, the general least prepared for a skirmish often decided to “save it” for another day.

Today as I took my little Shih Tzu for a walk, and returned to my front yard, I stopped to pull a couple of weeds out of my flower garden. In the meantime, Queenie tottled away from my momentary preoccupation. Suddenly, I heard a commotion to my left, and looking up I noticed my little canine, and a local feral cat, which had been resting under a bush, “going at it.”

I pulled back on my pooch’s leash, and suggested,

“Queenie, that’s one battle you ain’t gonna win.”

Lee and Grant left us with some practical advice.

Whether man or beast, sometimes you gotta pick your battles.

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 34. Copyright pending

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