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Play to Your Strength…and Go

Get up and go!

I awoke in upstate New York the other morning and it was -20 degrees. Let me spell that out for those of you who aren’t good with numbers…N-E-G-A-T-I-V-E T-W-E-N-T-Y D-E-G-R-E-E-S!!!

Sunny!

Cold?  No.  It was glorious and clearly time to get up and go.

I jumped on the bed and informed mom with a nudge of the nose that it was time to GET UP AND GO.  We needed to hit the street and breathe in the refreshing chill from the air.

Some people and pets would take one look at the negative number and crawl back under the blankets, but if there is one lesson I have learned in my five years as a furball, it is that when a challenge presents itself and adventure calls, it doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as you get up and go.

A few minutes later the humans of the house were bundled up and we were on our way.  

Mom had on her big puffy jacket, dad was wearing his battery operated heated vest, Evelyn put on some ski pants, and Rick had a turtle fur wrapped around his chin.

Is Ev’s hair frozen?!

It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you get up and go. I am a giant St. Bernard/Mastiff mix puppy, so I just wore me.  Play to your strengths. 

Our walk around the lake was three miles.  Along the way I wagged at everyone I saw.  When we got to Main Street, I had the opportunity to stop and lean into some strangers while I gazed up at them with my big brown eyes…and shared my frozen drool!  

It was N-E-G-A-T-I-V-E T-W-E-N-T-Y D-E-G-R-E-E-S I had a full on icicle beard!

Back at the house, my people thawed out while I sat by the door and waited to return to the frozen tundra.

Eventually mom gave in and we hit the ice rolling on our backs and loving life.

Feels so gooooood

Rod and Barb bought Dixie snow booties because her feet got sore in the cold, but she was a champ and powered through.  Play to your strengths.

Snow buddies

It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you get up and go.

When we returned to New Jersey at the end of the weekend, the temperature soared to 15.  A bit balmy for me, but I grabbed mom and Molly anyway and went….yep, back to the trail.

I know you know what happened next!

I found a stick.  I laid in the snow and chewed my stick.  I rolled on my back some more because I had a stick!

A stick is a stick is a stick

Cold?  No. Balmy? Maybe. Whatever your climate control, it was glorious.

To this point, Molly has not been a big part of my story.  While we were in New York, she was cuddled up in her blankie at home. 

Cuddle bug.

I love that girl dearly, but she shivers and shakes when the thermometer falls below 80!  She has never been a cold-weather dog and much prefers the fireside to the snow. 

However…Molly is no whimp.  She’s my hero…and you can be too.

Just…go

When you see a challenge or sense an adventure, don’t be shy and don’t lay low.  Be like Molly,  put on your jacket, grab a stick of your own, play to your strength, and get up and go.

I’m a dog, I love life, and I have flaws.  I’m perfect.  Imperfect.  Just. Like. You.

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A Friend Indeed

Mom hates the word “thing”. She says “thing” is too general and that it has no real meaning. She tells her students they have to find “a more specific word” or that they should “say what they really mean”. It is rumored that at one point in her career, mom took one point off student work every time they used the word “thing”!?

Ruff.

With that precursor, let me tell you a story about the BEST THING IN THE WORLD!!!!!

Nope, not a walk.

Nope, not a swim.

Nope, not chasing a squirrel.

Nope, not finding a stick.

The BEST THING IN THE WORLD is a friend.

I may not be the smartest dog in the dog park, but I am smart enough to know my life is good. Yes I get to walk every day, yes I get to swim, yes I get to chase squirrels, yes I still find amazing sticks, but even better than all of that, I have friends.

I have mom and dad. I have Molly. I have Sheeva. I have grammy. I have Amanda. I have Dixie. I have Brooke. I have Denise. I have Jack-Jack. I have Barkley. I have Nick. I have friends. Even more importantly, I am a friend!

The best part of having a friend and being a friend is not worrying if there is drool hanging from my mouth….there is. The best part of having a friend and being a friend is not worrying if there are knots in my tail….there are.

The best part of having a friend and being a friend is being able to laugh when one of us falls down, being able to bark when we have something to say, being able to sit quietly when we just want to be.

THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD IS A FRIEND.

It is rumored that at one point in her career, mom took one point off student work every time they used the word “thing”!?

-3

The best GIFT in the world is having a friend.

The best COMFORT in the world is having a friend.

The best LAUGH in the world is having a friend.

The best JOY in the world is having a friend.

The best REWARD in the world is having a friend.

The best FEELING in the world is having a friend.

The best DEFENSE in the world is having a friend.

The best OUTLET in the world is having a friend.

The best LIFE is one that is full of friends.

I think I just scored a 106.

 I’m a dog, I love life, and I have flaws.  I’m perfect.  Imperfect.  Just. Like. You.

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What I Learned Today

This weekend mom and dad went on a road trip without me. This is not allowed in my world! I was sad to stay behind, even though Amanda came and hung out with Molly and me, because I felt like I was missing out on my next great adventure.

When they finally came home, I was so excited to see them and to get some uninterrupted belly rubbing. Molly grabbed our orange stuffed duck and raced to the door as soon as we saw them pull up. I immediately pounced on Molly and stole said duck and presented it to mom and dad as my own.

Later, when mom and I were talking, I asked her why they had to go away and leave me at home. She told me they went to a funeral.

Hmm? I did not know what that was, but it had the word fun in it, so I figured it was something exciting and F-U-N. Right?

I asked for further clarification.

Mom explained that a funeral is what people have when someone dies.

I still needed a bit more, so we talked about the rainbow bridge. The rainbow bridge is where dogs and cats and other animals go when they die.

I was still unclear.

We sat and talked about what is means to die, and she told me what they said about her friend Gayle this weekend at the funeral.

Mom told me that Gayle’s daughter said that even though her mom had died, she was still alive in the smiles of her grandchildren, and she was still alive in the words of the books they would read at night because Gayle loved to read, and she was still alive in the cookies they would bake because Gayle made great cookies. Then mom told me they said Gayle’s grandchildren would always know her, even though she isn’t here anymore, because they would share stories about her and laugh about her and think about her and that because they were loved, they would continue to love.

After that I thought about Tucker and Shannon and Tonka and Sabre and Daisy and Meiko and Cooper and Sandy and Blackie and Jeremiah and Maltese and Peanut and Dillion and so many other pets I have heard about but who I never knew. And I thought about the happiness that each of these pets brought into the lives of the people who knew them … and how because their people loved them when they were alive, their people now love me…and how it is all connected. We are loved—we love—we are loved—we love.

When someone dies, they are no longer “here”, but in such an important way, they are everywhere. When someone dies, they are no longer in our physical world, but they become an even bigger part of our emotional world. They become the sunsets we see because we watched a sunset with them once. They become the music that we listen to because they loved to sing and dance. They become the walks that we take because they loved the woods. They become the warm days because they hugged us. They remain in everything we are because they were them.

Mom and dad went away without me this weekend and it made me sad, but when they came home, we sat together and talked and what I learned mattered even more.

 I’m a dog, I love life, and I have flaws.  I’m perfect.  imperfect.  Just. Like. You.

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It’s Monday!

Though I am typing this on a Sunday, it is meant for a Monday. Though I am typing this on a Sunday, I am thinking of everyone who must return to the grindstone on a Monday. Though I am typing this on a Sunday, it is late at night and might as well be a Monday.

So….IT’S MONDAY!

Tired?

THAT’S OK

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

It’s Monday!

Worn out?

THAT’S OK

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

It’s Monday!

Anxious?

THAT’S OK

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

It’s Monday!

Overwhelmed?

THAT’S OK

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

It’s Monday!

Need a hug?

THAT’S OK

Ask for one, then rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

It’s Monday!

All of the above?

THAT’S OK

You got this.

Rest if you must,

Then

Jump

Back

In

I’m a dog, I love life, and I have flaws. I’m perfect. Imperfect. Just. Like. You.

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Don’t Blin…..

Yesterday I was reminded of Emily Webb Gibbs in Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Emily learns the importance of appreciating and sharing the moments of life. I do love the classics.

Yesterday I got to road trip with the family, and although it was a bit squishy, I would not have wanted it any other way.

Yesterday we drove, yesterday we stopped, yesterday we walked, yesterday we listened to some tunes, and then right before we got home yesterday, I caught a glimpse of a rainbow through the trees.

Had I blinked, I would have missed it.

I’m a dog, I love life, and I have flaws. I’m perfect. Imperfect. Just. Like. You.

Molly and me
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The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants

Try as I may, I am admittedly not the most patient dog in the world. When I want something, I tell myself to breathe deeply and wait, but after a few short minutes, I either hit my target with my puppy-dog eye or I stomp my foot and huff to get attention. Some people may find these behaviors annoying—granted I do not know any of those people—but most others find them endearing and clever.

Of all the “things” I want in this world, the one I want the most…next to a walk, or a stick, or a squirrel, or a treat, or a belly rub, or a car ride, or a spot on the bed, or a little time with Molly, or a swim….is snow. White, fluffy, cold snow.

Snow.

I want to run in the snow and play in the snow and sit in the snow and sleep in the snow and roll in the snow. I want snow.

I want to hike in the snow and walk in the snow. I want to eat snow. I want to chase my snow-covered rope in the snow. I want to frolic with Dixie in the snow. I love snow. White, fluffy, cold snow.

Snow.

I don’t fit on a sled, but if I did, I would want to sled in the snow. I want to do some down dog yoga in the snow. I love snow. White, fluffy, cold snow.

I feel regal in the snow. I feel at home in the snow. I feel happy in the snow. I love snow. White, fluffy, cold snow.

Sit down for this one….it may hurt…but there are times in life when we don’t get what we want. At those times we have to decide how to react. Should we cry? Scream? Whine? Complain? Should we yell? Pout? Find someone else to blame?

Of course, you are free to react as you please. Me, I react with my typical Phil-the-giant-puppy-ease.

I find happiness where I can.

Don’t judge me.

Find happiness where you can.

Of all the “things” I want in this world, the one I want the most…is snow.

I’m a dog, I love life, and I have flaws.  I’m perfect.  Imperfect.  Just. Like. You.