What did I say?

Today I made a mistake that I paid for several times, enforced by my dog who apparently understands english. Here is how the scenario played out. My dog has a certain determined look that he imposes when he is anticipating an outcome. Once I notice him, which may take several attempts on his part as he moves in on me as prey, I ask him what, what do you want? The question is real and while he doesn't speak english, he sure does speak fluently in attitude and action. Sometimes he leads me to his food bowl, sometimes to the back door and sometimes, he grabs a pillow, shoe or kitchen towel and turns into destructo. This is his way of letting me know I have said something, made a promise that he intends to hold me to and I have to search my recent history to learn what triggered this demanding behaviour in him. At this point I feel compelled to share that prior to being a dog owner, I held pet owners suspect when they spelled words like w a l k in front of their four legged friends. I mean really, how ridiculous is it to believe that your pet knows what you are saying AND can read intentions by your facial expressions or the sound of the front closet door opening? Well, they can! So my dog, he grabs a large cushion from the gazebo I was sitting comfortably in and he begins to drag it and shake it, intent on ripping it with the end goal of letting me know that he heard what I had said earlier to my son about going out this evening to a friends house. My dog loves going to our friends home and the mere mention of the names of these friends turns him into a demanding lets go now bully. Luckily for me, my dog has learned what wait means and so, until we go, he will wait. What is my point, you ask? It is this: I have spoken without awareness, without knowing or reading my audience. I have agreed to things, forgotten that I did and then reneged, changed my mind and even disregarded the thoughts and feelings of others when this truth was pointed out to me. Why, you ask? Because I never learned what a promise meant, until recently. The winds are ever changing and the breeze blows in many directions and I too, was once caught up in the shifting, the drifting, the uncertainty of where and when to land and commit. I didn't take what I said seriously and I certainly didn't expect anyone else to...how about that? To my surprise, people not only listen, they remember, sometimes verbatim and I am astounded by this last bit, what I say matters and people count on hearing my opinion, advice, guidance and even my silence. Grin, this is a point of maturity, Dear One, when I recognize that I am valuable and here for a reason, a purpose and that I can be counted as a contributor. Now how about you? Do you know how important and valuable you are? Who is listening to you, counting on you, waiting for you to follow through on what you have promised? You matter, what you say and then do can make a world of difference in someone's life. What is it going to be? I am recognizing that words, my words, your words, they are not just utterances, white noise in a clattering world. They are real things that work in hearts and minds and with their power, we can have impact for the good or not so good if I may be grammatically incorrect.  Pay attention to what you say because if you don't, you may have to pay for it later, woof.