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Mombie

A behavior happens a couple of times and you go about with life, never even noticing that you’ve done it. Then the behavior happens a few more times and still it goes unnoticed. Life is funny that way. The small, mundane, unimportant things get compartmentalized in this automatic part of the brain, and we don’t ever really have to or need to pay attention to it happening, think using turn signals in the car, or flushing the toilet after you go. The thing is, these unimportant, mundane, small things can become a norm, which is then considered a habit. Google defines a habit as a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.

Science has proven that on average new behaviors take approximately sixty-six days to become automatic. A habit, can however, form in as little as eighteen days. Let’s take a look at the flip side of this science. It can also take as many as 254 days for a new habit to form. This means it can take that amount of time to break or reverse a habit.

I am potty trained and crate trained. We have a very stringent nighttime routine. Mom complains about being a super light sleeper, she hears everything. When Mom doesn’t get sleep she turns into a “mombie” and she will take down anything or anyone that crosses her path. One night Dad let us out before bed, which is normal. I discovered that my bunny neighbor left gifties, and right then was to very best time to forage for them, completely dismissing the fact that I was going to be locked up in bed for the next 8 hours. That night there was a problem. I had to go, really go! I barked to let Mom know I couldn’t hold it anymore. She woke up, came into our room, said some bad words, told me “no barking”, and then let me out. I did my business, then proceeded (unbeknownst to Mom) to find more of the tasty morsels the bunny left behind for me. She called me back in, “come Kevin… cookies…”. I ran back to the door, she grabbed a few cookies, gave me one, and put me back into my kennel with the remaining cookies.

Well, between late night bunny nuggets and midnight snacks I had to figuratively “let the dogs out”. I barked to let Mom know that she literally needed to let the dogs out. She repeated the process, cuss, out, poop, cookies, kennel, cookies, “NO BARKING”.

I tried this new behavior again the next night, and the next night, and the next. Mom came in every time. She wasn’t happy about it – remember that “mombie” I mentioned?!? I overheard her say that she couldn’t just let me bark, I would end up waking up Boy. It’s true, if she doesn’t answer my barking, I will bark more, and louder. I formed a new, bad habit, or I was certainly in the process of starting one. Mom is in the process of trying to break this newly formed habit. When Boy goes to his dad’s house, she lets me bark. She does not respond, which is unimaginable. Her only response these days is a booming voice from her room, “enough”,” no barking”.

My point… habits form before you even realize they are happening. They can be tough to break. Pay attention to your little, unimportant, and mundane, behaviors, so they don’t get stored in the automatic section of the brain. BE AWARE of the things you are doing. Live all parts of your life with blatant awareness and intention.

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Poster Child of A Beautiful Day

Fall is here, finally. It has been a wickedly hot summer. Please don’t misunderstand, I completely enjoy basking in the warm summer air on the hot patio stones. I however, have never had the luxury of experiencing anything other than spring and summer. But today… Mom said it was a PERFECT fall day. It’s sunny, about 70 degrees, the wind is blowing, and absolutely no humidity to speak of. It really is the poster child of a beautiful day.

Mom and Dad were supposed to be gone all day, but Boy’s school called and Mom had to pick him up very early. When she got home, she opened all the windows, opened the door, and told us to “get out”. It felt beyond delightful, lying outside in the cool grass with the leaves whirling past me and the tree limbs swaying gently in the breeze. There’s just so much to look at when it is all continually moving.

Fall is a new experience for me. I felt the need to soak in and relish in every refreshing moment of this new experience. I needed to genuinely enjoy the moment I was in. It was vital to take in and appreciate how every tiny little piece of the universe came together perfectly, to create, not just a magical moment, but a joy filled day.

This is my way of telling you, to take notice. Remember to enjoy where you are in a moment. Sometimes, we can be too focused on the wrong parts, or too focused overall, or even too busy. Sometimes these moments can be hard to find and easily missed. Take a pause each day and take note. Find something that brought you joy. It could be an interaction, a gift, a smile, getting a job done, the weather, the whole stinking day. Don’t let those little moments or days of joy pass you by. These are the things worth spotlighting.

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Something From A Crime Scene

A picture is deceiving. You can ask anyone who is house hunting online, they’ll agree. Not only is a picture deceiving, but it doesn’t tell you the whole story. There are websites and memes dedicated to photos that make you ask yourself “what the…?”.

If you did not harm anyone, did not verbally abuse or assault anyone, if you weren’t demeaning anyone’s beliefs, if you, and you alone were involved, then the reaction is on the person having it. Their reaction is their problem. It is not yours to take on. Someone, somewhere, will find a reason to be offended, even from the most well meaning situations.

In our home, we are HUGE Halloween fans. We like to call it our Christmas. The decorations and costumes can’t come soon enough, and the treats and snack often resemble something from a crime scene. We love all things creepy, gruesome, grotesque, and spooky. It’s the one time of year you can be nearly whatever you want, and it doesn’t warrant judgement.

Our costumes are generally homemade, and on the undead, chilling, WTF, side. We like to save the cutesy costumes for toddlers. That said, we don’t have any toddlers living in our house, so let the bloody Halloween nightmare commence. Mom was shopping for my costume online. She found a head band that made it look like scissors were jutting out of my head. Cheap felt and plastic. She ordered it immediately. She was so excited to try it on me. She tucked my ears in, tied it around my chin, and then fed me lots and lots of treats, while she snapped pictures. I have to admit, looking at the pictures made it appear as though I was the victim of a grooming gone wrong, however, I was still being fed treats in all of the pictures.

We immediately were so excited to share our amazing Halloween find. We posted it to my social media feeds, then we put it on some Keeshond forums, for all the Kee lovers to see. We posted it with a caption that said something to the effect of, Happy Halloween, bring on all things creepy, gross, and spooky. On one forum in particular I was reported, apparently several times. The people reporting the photo said that it was offensive; it was particularly offensive to those who rescue dogs.

HELLO!!!! *paws in the air* I AM A RESCUE!!!! so are Scrappy and Frankie. And we are over here living one hell of a good life. And wouldn’t that make Mom a rescuer?

Mom was annoyed that they pulled the picture. She said pulling the picture feeds into the problematic behavior. If it was a person, no one would have been offended. Anyway, Mom says she also doesn’t want me to write about this, because it too feeds into it. It gives it power when you give it attention. But my opinion is this was a great lesson, one that needed to be shared. Sometimes people will be offended at the things you do. No one needs to be hurt, abused, assaulted physically or verbally, demeaned, or belittled for offense to be taken. Sometimes people just need to be mad about something, that day, it was me. No one was hurt or shamed in the making of the photo, so their offense is theirs and theirs alone. I don’t have to take that on as my own.

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An Old Man, A Prude, and A Cat

Today, I’d like to start with the lesson. Your lesson is, it takes two to have an argument. Let that sink in for a moment. I’ll wait. Okay, now that you’ve really absorbed it, I’ll follow up with a few short stories and some logic to back it up.

I live with an old man, a prude, and a cat. I really enjoy all of their company. I am a puppy and puppies are naturally rambunctious, curious, playful, still learning social cues, and pushing the limits. At home, I am in a sticky situation pretty much daily, simply because I am doing all those things that come naturally to a puppy. At least one, if not each, of my housemates is either smacking, growling, or snapping at me. Now, I could push harder for what I want when they let me know I’ve reached the limit. I could put my big boy voice on and respond with the same attitude. If I did that, what would the benefit be? Would I get what I want? Maybe. Does someone get hurt? Probably. If not physically, definitely emotionally. There is no benefit to arguing my point. I can sit back and wait. I’ll get what I want eventually. No one gets hurt and no relationships bruised.

At daycare they say I am “Mr. Happy Go Lucky, without a care in the world”. I like that. They told mom, a tiny puppy was poking at me all day and I let it happen. Don’t get me wrong. I am not allowing anyone to walk all over me. I just don’t care about it as much. I’ll remove myself when I feel the need to, but I won’t make a big stink over it. If I did, especially at daycare, I’d get a squirt from the water bottle, maybe a time out, maybe a call to mom, and maybe expulsion. That all sounds terrible.

Sometimes when Dad travels for work and Mom has a particularly long day my Gigi (that’s Mom’s mom) will come over to let us all go potty. The last time Gigi had to do this, she brought her dog Maisy. This was my first official meeting with her. I love everyone, and as I have said before, with each new person, there is potential for a friend. Gigi put Maisy out back then let us out too. Scrappy and Lola know Maisy. No one plays, but no one argues either. They just explore the yard separately, boring! I was excited to meet her. I ran straight to her. She showed me her pretty smile, she let me hear how deep her voice can get when she growls. I was impressed, so I pushed further. “PLAY WITH ME”!!! She was not impressed by my tenacity. She charged at me and gave me a piece of her mind, which was clearly saying “leave me alone you annoying little….”. Do you think I am going to take that from a tiny wiener looking dog? Heck yes! I simply sat down. I could have made a fuss, she was small enough that I could have powered over her. But, why? What would I have gained? Someone would have been hurt, Gigi would have left, which means I get locked back up in the kitchen, and that doesn’t sound fun, at all.

It takes two to argue. Side bar, can you picture someone arguing alone, that’s a hilarious visual. This is maybe, one of the best life lessons. Why, you ask? I’ll tell you, it changes your perspective, your attitude, and your well being. Arguing because you don’t agree, you’re annoyed, or someone won’t listen, will not change their perspective. It will lead to frustration, hostility, pain (physical and/or emotional), and maybe a bruised relationship, or worse. Arguing is pointless. It only makes the entire situation worse, when you are reacting in the heat of the moment. Let things simmer down. Consider approaching the situation when neither person is worked up about it, maybe just let it go if it is unimportant. Sure the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but remember, it is likely to be replaced if it continues to squeak.

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Freedom

We live in a neighborhood that backs up to the Delaware Greenway. The Greenway is a scenic byway for walking, hiking, or biking with trails leading along areas abundant in culture and history. The Delaware portion of the Greenway, runs about 13 miles, the entirety of the Greenway runs the length of the east coast, from Maine to Florida. Because we live here, we have this incredibly beautiful walk available to us, and it is virtually in our back yard.

Scrappy and Lola used to run with Mom on these trails, that is, until The Doctor told Mom that Scrappy shouldn’t be running as his form of exercise anymore (Lola never liked to run). Now it’s just leisurely walks along the trails. They’ve seen deer, fox, snakes, frogs, turtles, racoon, and fish. Mom finds bones in the woods, she collects them, she is weird.

I enjoy walks, but not as much as I enjoy food. Lately I’ve been awarded the opportunity to go on “the walk” – a short version of it, with Scrap, Lola, and Mom. On warm days, I’ve learned that Mom will stop at the stream and let us play, if no one is around. The running water is very exhilarating and quite refreshing on a hot day. Scrappy and Lola run down the embankment, get a drink, take a dip, and go running back to Mom. So that’s what I did, the first time.

The second time, Mom didn’t just drop the leash. She actually unhooked me. Scrappy and Lola were already enjoying the water when I made it down. I like to play in the water for a minute, then I sit. The cool water just feels so nice on the backside! Scrappy and Lola completed their stream time, ran back to Mom, and prepared to finish the walk through the woods.

Me…

I ran up the embankment to Mom, then ran back down. Naturally I wanted her to think I wasn’t quite finished yet. But I had other plans brewing. I crossed the stream and went up the embankment on the opposite side. I looked at Mom and she looked at me. I think she knew what I was up to at that point. I could tell by the way she said my name in a low, slow manner. As soon as my name was done coming from her mouth, I darted off in the opposite direction, into the woods.

Let me paint the picture for you. I am disappearing further into the woods, gallivanting over, and under, and all around. Hello freedom! Mom in her ankle splint, climbing up the embankment with Scrappy and Lola, “running” (broken ankle, remember?) across the bridge to get to the side I ran to, and shouting “Kevin, come and get cookies”. LIAR! She is a liar, who lies. She didn’t have cookies, but i came back, because what if she did?

My stint in the woods was a blast, a true taste of freedom, unabashed, uncensored, dog being dog freedom. What’s the problem, you ask? For starters, my hip. My hip is a real problem sometimes. I ran so fast and so hard on those sticks, through those trees, over the boulders, that when I came back I was done. Sore and done. Once Mom hooked me back up, I lay down on the trail, and no amount of coercing, bribing, or dragging was going to get me back up. Mom was very annoyed at this point. She held onto my collar, took off the leash, hooked it to Scrappy, then wrapped the leash around her waist. She did the same thing with Lola’s leash. She then scooped me up in her arms and carried me the one mile back home. When we got home, she was exhausted. She said to Dad “imagine walking a mile with two dogs wrapped around your waist, and carrying a 25lb weight in front of you”. She then looked at me and said “no more off leash fun for you, Mr. Schmoo”, she calls me that sometimes.

Just to give you a glimpse into the future I required carrying one more time through the woods, to which Mom’s reply was “no more trail walks”. Then once more when we went around the block, to which she responded “you’re Dad’s responsibility now”. In general Mom has a three strike rule, I hit all three.

I am not a bad dog. I just do bad things sometimes. I think that’s true for everyone. We are all innately good, but sometimes we just need to test the limits and boundaries put upon us. Good dogs, as well as good people are going to do bad things. It’s okay to test those limits and boundaries. The thing is, being good doesn’t excuse me, or anyone else from the consequences of our actions. We have to be held accountable. We still have a price to pay. Walks with Mom, Scrap, and Lola are the price I am forced to pay. I am going to work really hard to earn that back, but for now… I am a good dog, who did a bad thing, and is suffering the consequences of his actions.

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And The Beat Goes On

I am different, at least that’s what Mom tells me. She says I am not like any other dog she’s ever had; she’s had a few. She also says that is not necessarily a bad thing. I am the best dog she’s ever had (okay, one of the best). I may not be the easiest, but I am definitely the coolest, definitely the fluffiest, definitely the smartest, and definitely the most stubborn. The smart ones: we’re always tough. I think that’s true for dogs and people. We require a little extra to quiet our overactive brains. I don’t fall in line with what is expected of me. I fit the mold of “dog”, but I am slightly offbeat.

I learn quickly, you might even say instantly. Did I ever tell you, food is the best thing in the world? Well, add a treat into the mix and you are speaking my language- hitting my sweet spot. I WILL WORK FOR FOOD!!! I learned “sit” on the second command. I learned “paw” by the fifth, I learned “down” on the third; even with Scrappy sending mixed signals about what it means.

Scrappy loves food too. He loves it so much he will just run through the whole gamut of commands. If Mom says “down”, Scrappy will “sit”, “paw”, “down”, and immediately “roll over”, just to jump up and give “paw” again. Holy moley Scrap, that is a lot of work for one tiny treat. And to top it off he usually doesn’t even get the treat cause he didn’t do it right.

I pick up habits, both good and bad, in a flash (maybe that’s why they bought me the flash collar and leash…). One middle of the night response to a bark and I will keep it up for a week. One treat for using the bathroom outside and I’ll keep that up too. That’s the good and the bad of being smart and a little different.

I love playing with new friends: new dogs, new kids, new people, and cats too. I am just a puppy still, so social cues aren’t necessarily my thing yet (I said I was smart, not brilliant). Daycare has been wonderful at fulfilling this need for friends. New friends everyday. The problem is that you have to get in a car to get there. YES! That. Is. A. Problem. I don’t love the car. It is tolerable, but only because without it I am stuck here, with all the old friends, who don’t particularly like to play. Scrappy and Lola LOVE car rides, they can’t sit still and will squeal with excitement, level of love for car rides. If friends weren’t waiting at the other end of a car ride, I’d be out, and fast.

We have a reasonably sized wooden box filled with toys: tennis balls, field hockey balls, bones, rubber balls, rope, crunchy, squeaky, stuffed, all sorts of toys. Frankie has probably seven toys. Let me remind you, Frankie is a cat. He has his own room where he has water, a litter box, treats, a heating pad, pillows, couches, a climby thing, and his seven toys that he hasn’t lost yet (YET!!! I won’t tell you if they are under the couches or someone, I mean something else happened). Those toys, they are the toys that I want. The jingle bell rope balls, the feathery, shiny fish, the mouse with the rope tail. Frankie gets the best toys. Ours just don’t compare. So I go into Frankie’s room, put my front feet on his chair, and steal them. Every now and then I will try to steal one right from his mouth. He gets so mad at me he starts to growl. Growling with a toy in his mouth, how does that even happen??? Mom intervenes or Frankie runs with his toy, oooooorrrrrr, I win! I love cat toys. They are just so much better than bland old (or new) dog toys.

I am picky about my water source. I know I am a barge dog, but hey. Mom bought a bright blue, plastic pool for me. She filled the pool with water from the hose. I didn’t like the hose or the pool, or even a bath, which led Mom to believe that I didn’t like water. Well, guess what!?! After a decent walk with Scrappy and Lola through the woods, Mom stopped at the creek and let them go. WHAT!?!?! She never unhooks or drops leashes. I was shocked, and frankly a little annoyed that I hadn’t been unhooked. Scrappy and Lola came back to Mom, she hooked them up, then she let my leash go. Creeks! A creek is fun. Cool, running water with stones, sand, nature, and frogs, and fish all around. After so much excitement and exploration I just sat. I was so overwhelmed by all this wonderful, that I just had to sit my butt right in that cool, running water.

Have I mentioned that I love food? Mom didn’t want me to have people food. Do you remember when I said habits form easily with us smarties? She didn’t want that. What mom does allow: fruits and vegetables. Lola is picky. she love bananas, broccoli, and cauliflower, not much else. Scraps likes a lot, but not everything. I love it all. All except celery. Celery is NOT good. But give me a strawberry, blueberry, apple, banana… okay, I know these are pretty popular and usually crowd favorites; do you need to hear the other things? broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peppers (I LOVE sweet peppers), snap peas, asparagus, raw sweet potatoes, spinach, dragon fruit, and lemons. Much like myself, lemons take some getting used to, but once you get past the first three licks, and barks, and growls, it is actually tasty.

I march to the beat of my own drum. I don’t conform to who or what I am “supposed” to be, like, do, or think. I listen to what my body, brain, and heart tell me are right. I am authentic to my true self. It’s not hard to do. It does require a certain amount of not caring what others think. What they think, is unimportant to me, others that is. I am the only one that gets to live my life for me. That means I need to live my life in accordance with my wants, and needs, and desires, and happiness. When you start to worry what others think, you begin to lose that beat you were dancing to. The drummer is silenced. The beat will slowly turn to background noise, and then all together disappear. The beat comes from within. So, figure out what brings you that beat (the things that bring you joy). For me, it’s fruits and veggies, being smart, but remaining stubborn, making noise, running in streams or creeks, making friends, and cat toys. These are some of the things in life that make my beat, beat loudest. The louder the beat plays, the more authentic you are being to your true self. Find those things and rock the hell out; don’t let the beat fade to silence. Trust me on this one!

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Lie Down and Die Because All Your Dreams Are Coming True

I love others. I love dogs, I love people, I love kids, heck, I even love cats. EVERYONE! I haven’t met a face (or tail) that I didn’t want to know better. Mom took note of this very early on. There’s this process, or maybe a better word would be a display, to how I attempt to greet a new friend. I sort of arch my back, wag my tail profusely, my ears fall flat to my head to the extent that they are lost in a pile of fluff, and sometimes, just sometimes, I shout in excitement. This is my reaction to anyone and mostly everyone, consistently. Whether they want to be my friend or not; I want to be theirs.

Now that I am all healed up from surgery, I am allowed to go on walks around the neighborhood to meet new friends. Mom said daycare was a good idea too. This is mostly because everyone at home works and schools during the day. Even though Scrappy and Lola are home, it doesn’t mean they want to be “pestered” by me. Mom kept telling me I was going to meet a whole slew of new friends both the furry and peoply type when I went to daycare. How exciting! She said I had to take a test. She also said she knew I’d do well, she just knew it.

Then came testing day…

Mom and I were locked in a room with a window. Mom filled out some papers, then lifted me to see what was on the other side of the window. There were all sorts of big dogs running after balls, lying in front of fans, and tugging at each other. This is daycare?!? Why don’t they just call it “Lie Down and Die Because All Your Dreams Are Coming True”? A woman walked in, they talked for a long time (they clearly knew each other). Then the woman grabbed my leash and escorted me through another door. I was hesitant. I put on the breaks and mom tucked my fluffy tail under my body and gave me a push. The lady picked me up and the door closed. Where was I heading? I didn’t like it. The lady carried me the entire way, but once she put me down, I was in a new room with a menagerie of dogs and puppies. They were my size and there were also human friends – two of them.

HOLY COW!!! I was overjoyed! I checked out every dog in the place. Some barked a lot, some were sleeping, some were playing, and a person girl was carrying one. I introduced myself to everyone with a sniff to the face or rear, in my usual “how you doin” posture. I met some interesting individuals. One guy snapped at me, Meany! One guy sniffed me back, another watched me, and then….

I found her. I think she might be my new best friend. Her name is Charlie. She is also five months old, she is black and white all over, and a pittie mix. The only sad part about that is that if she gets too big or too rough she will be sent to the big dog room and we won’t be able to be buddies anymore. Too sad to think about, back to today.

I sniffed her, she sniffed me back, I pranced, she followed, I stopped, she stopped. When Charlie took a break to scratch an itch, I helped her, she didn’t mind the help. This is going to be the beginning of something wonderful. I can feel it!

I gave everyone a chance today. Every. Single. Dog. They were all given the same opportunity to accept or decline my friendship. I certainly wasn’t well received by everyone, remember the guy I told you about? Meany? I learned quite a few lessons today.

  1. Not everyone will like you. That’s OK. I am going to repeat this simply because it needs to be understood. Not everyone will like you and that’s OK! I am authentically me and that might not be everyone’s strip of rawhide. This guy in class not being my friend didn’t affect the fact that I had a great experience. It also didn’t affect the fact that I still made a friend. He didn’t like me, so what?!?
  2. You have to give everyone and I mean everyone a chance. If I stopped at Meany, I wouldn’t have met Charlie or anyone else for that matter.
  3. Once someone shows you who they are, believe them. Meany is clearly a good guy, he passed the same temperament test I did. There was something about me that he just didn’t like. His nip was a warning; if there is something I know, it’s you only get so many warnings before the explosion. So I believed him. I believed that he would be aggressive, he told me, and I listened. He showed me exactly who he was and where I stood with him. Listen to that warning, or red flag, or whatever you call it.

Today, well, it wasn’t a bust. I walked away with a new place to play, a few new friends, some freedom from home, and some pretty incredible lessons. Oh, and after daycare, the naps are amazing. Who could ask for more?!? I can’t wait to go back!

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I Laugh in the Face of Fear

Fear is an illusion! If you have the courage, the drive, the chutzpah to face what you fear, head on, you’ll realize that you were the only thing holding you back. You may also realize that conquering that fear may just open a door to a world you never knew existed.

For me, that fear was the steps. I’ve told the story before, but I will tell it again. The steps were terrifying. I’d watch everyone climb up and down effortlessly, while I sat at the bottom crying. I wanted to know what was going on up there…

With a whole lot of patience and a little assistance, I triumphed the treacherous task of scaling the steps (the up part at least). A new world awaited me once I got up there. New toys, new smells, carpet (which I rapidly found a corner to rip apart), new experiences. It was glorious! Now there was this new world, but I was panic-stricken to get back to the old world I was comfortable in, because that meant going back down those steep steps. Down is so much scarier then up. I had to make it back down though, that’s where the food is. Did I mention that food is my favorite thing?

Treats were the magic trick, and time, and a little push from Mom. Treats and courage mostly!

You have to be kind to yourself when you are moving out of your comfort zone. Be patient. Allow others to push you forward. Reward yourself for taking baby steps (pun intended), and keep rewarding yourself with each step you take toward conquering that fear. You deserve to experience the world that exists beyond your fear. You also have the right to say that conquering that fear didn’t get you where you wanted to be, and you can go right back to your comfortable place. Fear is an illusion. We have the capability to move, and play, and work, and explore in all the directions, even the scary forward ones and the scary backward ones.

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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!!!