I'm happy to say that Mitch's foot is healing nicely. He's walking and even running some. The muscles are still stiff and tight, but the cut seems to be coming together very well. Our main concern at this point is that some of the stitches are still sticking out. We had thought that they should be dissolved by now, but Jason reasons that since they're on the outside, they have nothing to dissolve into or to aid them in dissolving. This makes sense to me.

Jason's solution to the problem was to allow Mitch to lick at the wound as long as he didn't go at it aggressively. So, we've been leaving the bandages and cone off and allowing him to lick at the area he's been wanting to get at for so long. Most of the time he does very well in being gentle. However, there have been a couple of times I've caught him with his entire foot in his mouth. At that point, I make him stop licking altogether (and, of course, he pouts).

I'm sure that area is itchy. I know he just wants to dig at it, but I also know that would not be good for him (or us). It's just hard to get him to understand the difference between licking and chewing. Licking is fine. Chewing is not. Since he doesn't understand, it is imperative for me to keep a close eye on him during his "lick sessions" to ensure he doesn't go overboard.

I'm reminded of the old saying, "If you give _________ an inch, they'll take a mile." Fill in the blank with whatever is appropriate at the time. For me, it is often "the devil" or "your flesh". Yes, if I give into the devil for just one little thing, I soon find myself far off track, and I don't even realize how I got there. Unfortunately, it's the same with my flesh. If I give in to one little fleshly desire, it undoubtedly leads to another and another and another. It's like the Pringles potato chip slogan: "Once you pop, you can't stop."

Satan says, "One little lie won't hurt," but what I don't realize is how many lies I'll have to tell to cover up the first one. My flesh says, "One more cookie won't hurt," but I fail to take into account how much extra exercise I'll have to do to work off that one cookie. Most of the time, it's easier to just say "NO" to begin with. If Mitch didn't start licking his paw, he wouldn't be prone to chew. If I didn't allow one sin or temptation to trip me up, I wouldn't be so prone to fall prey to the next one.

Are you facing temptation today? Just say, "NO!" Don't give in that inch, and you won't find yourself miles off track (or in Mitch's case, with your foot in your mouth).