Feed the Good Dog

I've had a pretty good weekend. Hung out with different groups of friends: ate gelato, went to a hot tub, caught a meeting, watched a movie. All the activities and people had a positive vibe and overall have been energetically nourishing. There has been quite a bit of negativity around me lately for myriad reasons and it's caused me to take stock of what I value and hold close. I'm not sure where I first heard this expression but it has to do with where we put our time and energy--feed the good dog. If you have the choice between the good dog and the destructive, biting dog, feed the good dog and it will grow. It's proved to be sound advice in more than one occasion. The phrase also reminds me of the ending of the final Harry Potter book. Throughout the franchise, the conflict between Harry and Voldemort is the crux of the story. It's billed as a good vs. evil fight but at the ending it is more about love vs. self-destruction. Harry trusts in his love of others and Voldemort follows his unrelenting obsession to his own demise. Harry doesn't really fight Voldemort, he stands in his love and convictions and Voldemort's own spell ricochets off Harry and kills him. With so many dark and menacing things hulking in the corner, it is tempting at times to think I have to battle all that negativity. Sure, sometimes it's prudent to resist or remove myself but often it comes down to one question: which dog am I going to feed?