Sometimes I think we just get too serious in life. Sure, with the profession we are in, it's a necessity. And yet, what is it that really makes you happy? What goals do you have for your life that you spend time saying "some day I'll..."? It's important to take the time to look for those things and enjoy them in our lives.
For me, one of those things is Turbo. I thought I'd take the opportunity to introduce him to all of you. He's been a part of life in the Rockel house now for four years, coming to me when he was a little over two years old. Turbo was in a rescue mission. I had a dog before him, lost that one, and was looking for a new one. The day I walked into his foster mom's house, I knew he was coming home with me. You see, he looks exactly like Bailey, my first one. And yet, his personality is nothing like Bailey is. Turbo is part Chow and part Golden Retriever. That gives him all of the protectiveness of the Chow and all of the loving sweetness of the Golden Retriever. He believes it is his job to protect our home, and he does it quite well. He also has such a personality that he's just plain funny sometimes.
If you have a pet, you know that we learn lessons from our animals. Turbo has taught me a lot about being eternally optimistic. One of his favorite pasttimes is chasing the squirrels that live in our back yard. We have some storage buildings out back, and they probably have 4-5" beneath them as they sit on blocks. In the spring, it's not uncommon for him to come in covered from head to toe with mud because that squirrel has run under the building and he's gone in after him. And yes, he always gets stuck because he just doesn't fit under those buildings. But you know what? He still EVERY single time believes he WILL get that squirrel, even though he's never caught one (thank goodness!). It's the same thing when I get ready to leave the house. He's always there at the front door, anxiously waiting to see if this time he will get to put his leash on and go for a ride in the car. He loves that. And even when he goes very rarely, he's still there. He is, eternally optimistic, that THIS time will be the one time he will get what he desires.
What if we operated our lives like this? What if we always believed that THIS time whatever we were trying would succeed? I suspect our lives would be quite different. I imagine we would also be happier. I was struck by a speaker I heard not too long ago who asked the question "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?" If we always believed we would succeed, we would step out and do that one thing! What is it for YOU that you'd do if you were eternally optimistic? And what's stopping you from giving it a shot?
2 comments:
Mine is named Willow.
A Pom-a-wa-wa, and yes, every time I take her in for grooming the women at the groomer's just crack up when it comes time to tell them what breed she is. How can you not be a happy person with those silly sounds coming out of your mouth ?
She was my daughter's dog originally. Not what I would have chosen if I was picking the dog (I have always wanted a "Toto" like on Wizard of Oz since a little girl.) I inherited Willow when my daughter, Maureen, grew up and moved to a place that did not allow pets.
Willow answers to various names, (as long as you have a "treat" in your hand) ... "varmit" when caught doing something she knows not to do, like chew on my socks; "drowned rat," exactly what she looks like when wet; "mud puppy" after a walk in the FL rainy season when our farm has become nothing but "mud.". But now that that I am essentially house bound taking care of elderly MIL/FIL, Willow is my "sane" daily companion. The one I talk to all day long ... who sings opera along with me when no one else can hear (because we are awful at it) and I would dearly miss that optimism you are talking about. It happens every time I roll back this chair from the computer screen, where she has been sleeping on my "nonpedal" foot just to make sure she does not miss that rolling action, that usually mean walks outside :) And, unlike my pigs (no matter how friendly and garrulous they may be) she is always, always a happy camper because she gets to go inside and not one of my other animals has such privileges! oh yes, that little dog most certainly lords that particular fact over all those "big animals," the cows, the pigs, the donkey and they are all just eaten up with envy :)
You know that I think showing our members the human side of MTdom is something I really do believe will help counteract the increasing sense of alienation our far-flung membership feels at times. We have talked about it often :) Sort of like chasing those squirrels ... Willow happens to feel that way about lizards, and I, myself, feel that way about reaching out to others online ... I think you just never stop trying no matter how tempting it is to choose to believe it is not worth the effort :)
Nae
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
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