Sacred Life Sunday

Scarlet Ribbons, Norwich Terrier, 2 years old

3:53 a.m. Sunday, July 13, 2008       A wet kiss wakes me.  I stagger to the alarm system, turn it off and open the back door for Scarlet to go potty.  Good girl!  (Better than the alternative of finding a wet spot on the carpet in the morning.)    She seems so energized!       What’s up?         OK, OK, good girl, now back to bed. . .  She tries to settle down but acts likes it 6 p.m. and she’s ready for a walk!  We can hear her getting into things on the floor of the bedroom and in the closet.  Maybe she needs a snack. . .there you go. . .no, that didn’t do it.  Finally after a few minutes we gave up and decided to join the Joy Club.  Let’s just not fight it anymore.  So we threw back our covers, ran around the house a few times, roughed Scarlet up and played for a few minutes to tire her out.  Usually I would not be up for this at 3 something in the morning, but today was different and I decided I’d let the present moment happen, have a burst of fun and then head back to bed.  That was all it took for Scarlet.  After a few minutes of play and a snack she was ready to settle in again.  This is mildly reminiscent of my daughters and grandchildren as babies with night feedings and “talking” to each other until sleep won us over.  Precious moments.  There is something special about the middle of the night.  It’s quiet and the night air has a special quality.  We could even see the stars which have been hard to see lately due to the smoke from all the fires in California.  So, thank you Scarlet for a taste of night air and stars, and a little middle-of-the-night joy.  Sleep tight!

“The dog was created specially for children.  He is the god of frolic.”  ~Henry Ward Beecher

Gail Brokaw                 You CAN create the change you want in your life!
Certified Life Coach
http://www.embracethepossibility.org

New Perspectives

  

 New dog, new perspective

Our two beloved dogs of 13 years each died this last year.  The house has been quiet and we haven’t gone on nearly enough walks.

This month we have added another family member.  Scarlet, the redheaded Norwich Terrier to the right, is now part of the family.  Scarlet’s sister, Charo, on the left, was visiting for a few days before going back to her original family.  They had fun chasing each other around the house but now Scarlet has the place, and us, to herself and I think she’s enjoying being the Queen of the house.

It’s amazing how a new family member can change the perspective of everyday activities.  Our boring old neighborhood walks now seem fresh again as we are introducing Scarlet to the parks and paths and neighbors that we know well.  And we are gaining a chance to see things differently through her eyes as she discovers new smells and sounds and chase games.  She makes us laugh when she goes wild at night, playing catch me or when she rolls on her back playing with a toy between her paws like a baby.

Life is good.    

In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn’t merely try to train him to be semi human.  The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog.  ~Edward Hoagland

Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear.  ~Dave Barry

To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring – it was peace.  ~Milan Kundera

Enjoy the day and look for possibilities to enjoy a new perspective!

Gail Brokaw
Certified Life Coach
http://www.embracethepossibility.org