Every so often we get a wake up call. It’s the call that jolts us into remembering perspective. It’s the call that reminds us how important self care is. We can get so caught up caring for everyone else, that sometimes we neglect ourselves. In 2014 it was Robin Williams’ shocking suicide. The man that brought happiness and laughter to so many suffered a struggle that no one could imagine. A year later came the death of Amanda Peterson, aka Cindy Mancini, the beloved ’80’s teen idol we admired from Can’t Buy Me Love. She fell victim to drug and...
I’m shocked to announce that Nola has run out of wisdom to teach me. I know it’s surprising. I never thought a butt-sniffing, poo-eating creature as amazingly clever as she is, could ever run out of wisdom, but Nola is out of ideas. Luckily our walks together have led me to another source of wisdom… the podcast. After walking in silence every day for months, I’ll admit I kind of got tired of hearing my own thoughts over and over. I got bored with myself, so I decided to multi-task and learn something new during that hour. Of course I...
People say that they’ve learned the most in life from their experiences as a parent. I think I get it. I learn a lot from my child, too, even if my child is a dog. I’m amazed at how much you can love your little one. Sometimes I love her so much that I want to eat her up. I know that sounds weird, but you know exactly what I’m talking about. I’ve heard you say those weird things too. Then there are times when she does something that pisses me off so much, that I almost hate her, for...
In recent weeks Nola has been teaching me how to move on from conflict. She is a pro, but do I have it mastered? Not even close! However, I do feel like my response to a recent event was a great first step to mastering this craft. In my last post I mentioned my success leaving behind a bad experience I had. Here’s what happened… On my way to the gym, I was trying to turn right at a red light. There was a lot of traffic that day, intensifying my impatience. When I finally saw an opening, I quickly...
In my last post I marveled at how easily Nola is able to immediately let go of another dog’s aggression toward her. I even gave myself a little pat on the back for being so relaxed about it too… as if I’m always so calm, cool, and collected. It wasn’t until I read this comment from a reader, that he reminded me that I’m not always as skilled as I’d like to think I am at “shaking it off.” He said: If dentistry taught us something, its being able to move on after that last excruciating conversation with someone who’s...
Last week I wrote about the human decency that we can learn from (ironically) dogs. Later that same day 2 interesting things caught my attention. First, on a walk with Nola, we ran into her old acquaintance, Lady, whom we hadn’t seen in a while. Deep down Nola always wants to jump on everyone she sees, but somehow she has learned a little about how to greet other dogs. She usually knows to come in slowly for a more smooth greeting. She often cowers down, puts her bum on the ground, and sometimes even rolls over on her back. It...
Isn’t it great when small things make your day better? One of my favorites is seeing happy, friendly people when I’m out and about. I love it when someone thanks me for holding the door, holds the door for me, or even smiles as they walk by. Those simple gestures have the power to quickly lift my spirits. Life seems a little bit easier when we allow these small joys to help carry us through our days. Okay okay, I know I sound like a hippie, but it’s true. My Crazy Nolabees (yes, she’s Crazy with a capital C,) needs...
You may have noticed I haven’t written any blog posts in a while… or maybe you haven’t. Either way, I’ve been a little distracted lately. I have been working on some really cool things, and one in particular has taken up a lot of my time. Her name is Nola, or as we sometimes call her… Nolabees! (more…)
How’s your luck? For years I believed that I had bad luck. It was true. I never won anything. Whenever there was a drawing or a lottery, my name was never drawn. It seemed like the same lucky people always won over and over. When I was 8 my sister won a highly coveted Cabbage Patch Kid on the Point Pleasant boardwalk by placing her $1 bet on the word “son” on the roulette wheel. The very next round I wanted to place the same bet but was talked out of it because it would never hit again. Guess what...
This week I’m lucky to get to share some words of wisdom from the wonderful woman who had a huge role in helping me leave an unhappy career over two years ago. I know like many of you, I’m really hard on myself when I make a mistake, so it always helps to remember the perspective Melanie offers here. Treat Yourself as You Treat Others Growing up, I was told to treat others as I would like to be treated. You’ve probably heard some version of this principle. And yes, it’s a great principle. Treating others well is respectful, kind...
