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Descendant of Wolves

I am not a baby. Let me repeat that for the folks in the back – I AM NOT A BABY! I am a big guy. A descendant of the mighty wolf. Picture White Fang or Lobo. I was born to be majestic, fierce, wild, and mysterious. That said, I am still a little, big guy (not a baby) with some setbacks. My hip plays a substantial role in my abilities and inabilities. I am related to some pretty amazing ladies and gents, therefore I will not live my life as though my hip has the capability to hinder my potential. I am majestic, fierce, wild, and mysterious just like my ancestors. I can run with the big dogs, I can torture Frankie, and drive my people insane, I can play like a first grader at recess and explore like Dora.

Exploring new, foreign territories is good fun. There are adventures that are fast and easy. Adventures like a walk around the block, patrolling the yard for bunnies, or a car ride to an unknown location, that inevitably ends up at the doctors office. Then, there are adventures that are as treacherous as trekking Mount Everest, like the steps and the stone wall outside, and the couch. Let me fill you in on these tricky adventures.

The steps: I would sit at the bottom of the steps, 12 steps to be exact, while Mom, Dad, Boy, Scrappy, Lola, and Frankie would fly up and down them like it was as easy as 1,2,3 (people like to say easy as pie, pie isn’t easy unless you are talking about how it goes down). Those steps were so intimidating, and I was certain they were doing such amazing things at the top of them. Things so interesting that I would sit at the bottom and yell, and yell, and yell. “Hey guys, what about me”???

Did I ever tell you that food is my favorite thing? Mom had an insane idea to put one treat on each step and point each yummy morsel out to me on the way up. It took some serious coaxing. Mom would pick the treat up and touch it to my nose, then sit it back down on the step and tap her finger right next to it, saying “Come on Kevin Lemon, lets go buddy. Good boy, you got it!”. One step at a time and four help sessions, I mastered going up. Turns out there wasn’t a lot of fun happening up there. Going down was ten times scarier. Mom did the same thing for working on down, but I was frozen in fear. Mom had to physically drag me down from the top step more times than I can count on both paws. Mom stuck with me though, and slowly I conquered down too. Now, I can climb up and down easily with the rest of them, except for the stinking bed rest thing. You better believe, as soon as I get the A-okay from my surgeon, I’ll be scaling those steps again.

The stone wall: We have a wall that outlines the barrier of a natural stone patio, each end has a slightly higher pillar. Attached to the wall is a lower wall to a fire-pit. Lola learned very early on that she could climb the wall to the fire pit, in order to reach the higher wall and the pillars. She’s bigger now, and an acrobat, she can jump right on up. I can’t do that and honestly I am a little behind the curve sometimes. The trick to climbing the wall took me a little while.

Dad likes to give me some space and some time. He will let me outside, and then return to his morning route while I explore. Mom says bored puppies get into things. She’s not wrong. Dad leaving me alone is how I learned. I let my nose and Lola lead me. I figured out the trick! Now, I get to eat basil, cilantro, tarragon, lavender, portulaca, and roses all of which are in the fire-pit and along the wall. Mom walked outside the day I learned and just watched me. She started laughing hysterically. I WAS STUCK, I COULDN’T GET DOWN!!!! I stood on the pillar and did a frustrated dance, then I sat down and barked, then I did another dance. Mom walked back into the house. Can you believe that? She left me there. When she came back she had a handful of treats. Did I mention that food is my favorite thing in the whole wide world?!? She put a treat between her fingers, touched it to my nose, and led me from the pillar- the highest part of the wall, to the next level, to the lowest level, until I could get down with minimal impact (do I need to mention, it was the same way I got up?). Thanks Mom! That was scary.

Are you starting to see a pattern? Down is a challenge.

The couch: Okay, this is embarrassing. I can’t get up or down from the couch. I need help both ways. Except when I do my keesie noodle flop and fall off the couch on my own. Look guys, I am not proud, but it’s reality.

Needing help is okay. Asking for help is okay. No one is Superman or a wolf (unless, of course, you are). Asking for help does not make you less majestic, fierce, wild, or mysterious. It makes you a normal human or a normal wolf. Wolves travel in packs for a reason. Not any lone wolf can handle the same amount of pressure, danger, adventure, and life the way the whole pack can. Let others have your back. Let others do the parts they are good at. Acknowledge their abilities and let your pride go. We cannot do everything all the time. Help makes us stronger, better, happier, and safer. Asking for help does not ever mean you are weak. Next time you’re feeling uneasy, unsure, overwhelmed, or incapable, ask for help. You get the job done and someone else feels good about doing it. They also feel good because they were needed. Take a note from me and my ancestors. I promise you are no less majestic, fierce, wild, or mysterious.

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Reach Out and Touch Me

Mom is constantly taking photos of me. She puts a handful of treats in her pocket and then instructs me to “sit” and “stay”. There are also times that I am going about my daily shenanigans and suddenly one of these distracting objects comes snapping shots in my face. Mom says Boy used to be the subject of all her pictures, but he turned into a “major ham” and candid, real life, in the moment pictures just weren’t a thing she could get from him anymore. I am her new muse. Let’s be honest, while I am easily distracted, I am definitely not phased in the least by a camera in my face.

The most exciting part about all these pictures, is that I get to share them with people. People I know, people I don’t know, people who look at them because they appreciate keeshond beauty, people who are interested in my history, people who just think I am cute, people who think I am hilarious (this one mostly), and so many more people around the world, who for whatever reason, choose to look at me, and my pictures.

I recently went in for surgery. I posted on my social media that I was in need of some good luck wishes. My doctor is incredibly capable. He is an orthopedic specialist (he fixed Frankie’s leg), so the well wishes weren’t because I didn’t have faith in him or his work. They were because we were nervous, all of us, I mean, I am a lemon. I also asked for well wishes because I believe in the power of the universe. What we put into the world we get back. I am not religious, so it wasn’t asking for some higher power to look after me, nor am I superstitious. I just think vibes, feelings, emotions, and energy fill the world we are in and radiate around us.

The support and prayers and well wishes were on a scale I could not have even imagined. Mom was flabbergasted at the response. Emotional really. People checking on me in the following days was also very overwhelming for mom.

The lesson here…

You have the ability to touch people. For the people that sent me all their positive vibes, I have clearly touched them; it might be my toothy smile, my defect, or simply that they are amazing people. I don’t know, but they cared about me enough to respond. They cared enough to ask for updates. THEY CARED! For Mom, the caring mattered. she knew she cared, but had no idea that so many people had such space in their hearts to care for a stranger’s lemon puppy.

You have the ability to touch people. You have the ability to change someone’s day. A smile, a kind word, a prayer to the universe, or God,or whatever you believe in, can make a positive difference. Stink eye, a grimace, an unnecessary opinion can create a void in someone’s day. For better or worse we carry that power. That’s scary, right?!? Personally, I think using this force to make someone else’s day a little brighter is the direction I am taking. I am going to consciously take that direction everyday. I want to put into the universe, what I want to receive back, and I have that power. So do you.

** WORDS FROM MOM**

I just want to send a special thank you out to all the kind, warm-hearted, positive people who reached out to send their encouraging energy our way. You, my friends, are appreciated more than you know. I was a nervous wreck (even with seeing doggo surgeries on an almost daily basis). You all helped me, and Kevin of course, get through this worrying time. I brought Kevin home knowing he was in need of surgery, not knowing how sick he’d get early on, and that he will continue to be slightly defective, because that is just who he is. So anytime he is going through something, I get a little worried knowing that he is that puppy who will likely take a turn for the worst. Worry is a horrible feeling, the unknown is equally as horrible. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for radiating your uplifting energy to us. You supported us in our time of need and worry, and we came out better for it (physically, emotionally, and spiritually). Hugs and love to all you kind souls! Thank you!

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The Good, The Bad, or The Ugly

For Mother’s Day Boy bought Mom a stunning plant. She loved it. She took it out of the orange, plastic pot it came in, and put it into a fancier pot to place on the back patio. The plant sits by the back door, on the step, up against the house. A lovely addition to a small bare corner. This plant is chock-full of little buds that eventually display large, orange, hibiscus flowers. Mom says, the unfortunate part about this plant is that the flowers only bloom for a day, leaving shriveled up pods of former hibiscus flowers hanging from the stems.
I say, HOW FORTUNATE!!! There are shriveled up pods of former hibiscus flowers hanging from stems! When the spirit moves me or when I am feeling bored, I like to snatch those shriveled up pods right off the plant. Each pod gives approximately fifteen minutes of mindless joy and pleasure.
Can you see where I am headed with this?!?
Everything in life is determined by your frame of mind. While Mom looks at the plant and takes note of the dead and ugly parts, I see a fun, new, tasty moment of happiness. Mom and I see things differently. That’s OK. But, if you continue to look at the things in your life less than savory and undesirable than the more things will look unsavory and undesirable. If you look at your life, the things you have, and the things you’re going through as though they have flavor and zest (even the ugly, unwanted parts), everything will start to seem a little more palatable and flavorful. Continue this, and your life, and all that is in it will be worth savoring and enjoying. Everyone will want a piece of it because it’s just so satisfying!
It’s all in the way your perceive it, life, materials within your life, moments, situations, all of it. It, much like the hibiscus flowers can be full of fun and flavor, or it can be dead and ugly. It’s up to you to choose!!!