In some stories, the detective realizes that there was no barking by the watchdog involved. That is usually a clue that the culprit lived in the owner's house or otherwise was familiar to the dog. But it usually not that easy for most of us to notice who or what is NOT there.
Mark Epstein in "Going to Pieces without Falling Apart" discusses the power of "guarding". In muscle terms, our bodies and minds first collaborate to notice that it hurts each time we do something. Then, they take a further step of tensing the muscles needed to do that. Our parts are teaming up to "guard" us against pain. There are many occasions when Epstein's psychiatric patients do similar things mentally and emotionally.
I guess avoidance of certain people or types of events can be productive and can lead to diminished pain, upset and suffering. But it does seem to be helpful to be on the watch enough to notice the avoidance and not let it occur without permission and awareness. If we can review from time to time what or who we are guarding against, we may be able to relax and reconsider that source. Often, the more clearly we can face, and understand, and tolerate the irritant or challenge, the better our chance we can change into no longer being bothered. We may even find some charm or excitement or benefit where before there was none.
Both my favorite yoga teacher, Jenifer Ebel, and Dr. Epstein sometimes use the word "expanded" to describe the person who is loose, open, aware and able to host various people and events with tolerance and some sympathy. They describe the opposite state of being guarded, tense, and on the lookout for threats and discomforts as "contracted".
