So, I love this image.

I love the dog’s obvious attempt to blame the cat, despite the weight of evidence to the contrary. I love his blatant joy in life. I love his unapologetic aura about living life on his terms.

I love it all. Which is exactly why it also stopped me. Because I think any dog worth his salt doesn’t blame the cat. Instead, he takes total responsibility for all that mud (“By the way, it WAS a lovely time, thank you very much; Hey, wanna join me tomorrow?”).

By total responsibility, I mean fully accountable (“Yeah, that was me. Sorry about the mud; can I help you clean it? Man, you should’ve been there! It was AWEsome.”).

Obviously that carpet company hopes to sell its tough, stain release carpet through the imagery of a rascally, lovable goofball of a dog (“Go out, do stuff, don’t be afraid to get dirty, live a little. Your floor can handle it. Besides, you can always blame the cat.”).

Ouch. This dog would never blame the cat. This dog wouldn’t stoop to that. He’d own his actions, matter-of-factly acknowledge his dirt, leave his exuberance unbridled, and appreciate his mistakes. I’m grateful for that, too, because it gives me something to shoot for in my own life.

I say don’t blame the cat. Own up to your dirty footprints padding along, acknowledge mistakes, but always strive to do better. And to be fair, own your strengths along the way, too.

Be totally, thoroughly authentic. The world cries out for that, I think.