Yearly Archives: 2013

A battle of wills

16 Comments

Whether I label it the “Defense of Defecation” or “The Protection of Poop”, either moniker defines the depth of how stubborn my dog can be.  In an earlier post I described the trauma she experienced last Thursday by running into a branch and puncturing her shoulder.  She is in a medi-vest and has a cone on her head which has led to our morning routine being completely altered.

IMG_0790

Most mornings Callaway had free reign of the nearly three acres we call home.  She chased squirrels, followed the scent of whatever vermin have graced our property in the wee hours and did her morning business where nobody could see her while I enjoyed a coffee on the deck.  That has all changed.

Each morning we now go out together, Callaway on a leash, me without coffee, and we attempt to find an appropriate spot for her to relieve herself.  To most dogs this is a mundane task that they are willing to do almost anywhere.  Not my dog.  Since the “incident” we spend an HOUR each morning, fighting off mosquitos and Deer Flies, trying to find a spot that she deems worthy and protected enough to be able to empty her bowel.  She will never shit on my lawn – that is an inarguable truth.  She will regard me with great disdain each time we circle the lawn, me with hopes that her opinion on this will change, she holding strong to her right to defile the back woods in anonymity.

The battle of wills continues.  Woman vs Dog.  The morning stand-off.  But she will always win because I am a pushover when it comes to my puppy dog.  Armed with only a hoodie and my good intentions, I shall respectfully follow her to where no man should go and turn a blind eye while she chooses the perfect spot to have her morning movement in peace.

Hello, Kettle? It’s pot calling. You’re black.

13 Comments

Hypocrisy.  It lives and walks among us and it lurks in the very shadows in which we feel safe.  It feeds upon unsuspecting minds, clinging to the particles of grey matter that are most apt to ignore it.

Professing beliefs or ideals that you neither follow nor remotely understand is the most familiar definition but there is also the flip side of the hypocritical coin.  The admonishment of a habit or behavioural pattern that is so blatantly shared by the one pointing the finger is the one that is most commonly seen – at least by me.

But the ones making flagrant accusations are oblivious to the obvious.  They are standing so far out on the precipice of blindness that they are unaware that they are constantly living in a suspended state of hypocrisy.  And perhaps they truly can’t see the irony in pointing out the shortcomings of another when they represent the same qualities themselves.

Maybe the pot calling the kettle black is a mere distraction technique.  If the focus is shifted in a different direction, the pot will never receive the negative repercussion to which it should so rightly be subjected.  Panning the camera for a close up on the kettle potentially leaves the pot completely out of the picture.

But a word of caution to the pot – even though you may try to use the kettle as a scapegoat to alleviate any personal discomfort, bear in mind that there are many other pots and pans in your proverbial pantry and they see right through the facade.  The very ashes that charred the surface of the kettle are mirrored on the exterior of your pot.  Before you are so quick to judge make sure that your extraneous covering is free from any soot before you bring the kettle into the mix.

A Mere Player – Trifextra Challenge

10 Comments

“All the world’s a stage.”    The words would ring in her ears bearing a remarkable parallel to something she could not grasp.  If only imagination would water her reality and make it grow.

~

Written for the weekend Trifextra Challenge:  On now to this weekend’s Trifextra challenge.  This weekend we are giving you three words and asking for you to give us back another thirty of your own, making a grand total of thirty-three words. Your words to work with are: ring, water, stage

Exposing a nerve – Trifecta Challenge

7 Comments

A slow crack appeared in my composure and I let the emotion overwhelm me.  Tears flowed and the raw  feelings were exposed like nerves in a broken tooth.  To some she is just a dog, but to me she is family.  As she heals from her injury I will tend to her every need.  I will care for her and protect her just as she protects me.  Dogs are truly man’s best friend.

~

Written for the Trifecta Challenge – This week we have a new set of guest judges.  Please help us welcome Mary Beth, Shreya and Yve.  They’ve got a big responsibility this week, and we are confident that they’re going to do an awesome job.

CRACK 1a : a loud roll or peal   b : a sudden sharp noise 2: a sharp witty remark : quip 3a : a narrow break : fissure      b : a narrow opening —used figuratively in phrases like fall through the cracks to describe one that has been improperly or inadvertently ignored or left out 4a : a weakness or flaw caused by decay, age, or deficiency :unsoundness   b : a broken tone of the voice   c : crackpot 5: moment, instant – See more at: http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/#sthash.By3O27Ol.dpuf

Trauma in the wee hours

25 Comments

As I do every morning, I awoke to the smiling face of my dog and we began our morning routine.  Coffee in my hand, we went outside and our first sight was a ravaged bag of garbage that a raccoon had left strewn about my entrance way.  This piqued Callaway’s interest and she was eager to get off the deck and chase the over-sized vermin to defend her territory.

window2

Within moments of being in the bushes her cry pierced the morning air and my heart began an incessant rapid beat that sent me into high alert.  I had assumed that the raccoon had performed some ninja moves and lacerated my dog’s face and I immediately threw on my running shoes and bounded off the deck, shovel in hand, ready to pummel the furry ninja with my weapon of choice.

I was ill-prepared for the gaping wound in her chest that was bleeding fairly profusely.  Callaway gingerly limped back to the deck and I noticed a 3/4 inch hole just above her left front leg.  She had run into a branch at top speed and the result had left her fairly immobile.  My First Aid training came flooding back and I applied pressure to stop the bleeding. After several calls to the answering service for the vet I created a makeshift bandage and lifted her 85 pound frame into the car for the hour-long journey to see the doctor.

The vet was remarkable.  He ushered her in immediately and assessed the wound.  Without being able to tell if the stick caused further damage, Dr. Jones made the time to examine her further and offered to keep her for the morning so they could stitch and dress the wound properly.  His colleague has also offered to have her as a passenger for the hour ride back to their local office where I can pick her up later.  It’s comforting to know that medical professionals have as much compassion and concern for my dog as I do.

I am back home now getting ready to go to work and am anxiously awaiting a call to find out the extent of the damage.  I miss her already but I know she is in good, caring hands and she will be home soon.

Don’t be afraid to speak up

10 Comments

We all have opinions, beliefs and desires. Some are more apt to share these with others and some feel the need to stifle their thoughts and not share them with anyone. But what makes one desire more worthy than another? What makes one opinion more valid than another? The mere definition of opinion is meant to allow for a broad spectrum of beliefs to hold validity and not be based solely on fact.

Having the confidence to verbally express your ideas is a rare gift. So many of us second guess our thoughts but we need to find the freedom to speak up for something for which we hold true value. Our opinion is our own, it is that simple. No singular person has the right to tell us any differently. And if we are not prepared to speak our minds we lose a big piece of ourselves in that process. We lose our own permission to feel the way we feel and the comfort to portray thoughts and feelings in a way we deem appropriate.  I gave myself the permission to say what I feel through the words in my blog.  While I appreciate comments and criticism along the journey, I have enabled myself to share my voice on a page and speak my mind without worrying what outside influences may try to do to change my opinions.

We ultimately do ourselves a great disservice if we cannot find our voice.  Perhaps the words we utter could give someone else a perspective they would have never considered and, in turn, our reality could shift if we listen to others that have the boldness to speak up and share their thoughts.   We need to become comfortable with the power of words and how to use them to create positive change in our lives.   We should never live in fear of expressing ourselves.  Those words and ideas are what constitute the people we have become and an open dialogue is the best path to forging a truly honest relationship.

We need to stand behind the voice in our head and know that it is fuelled by our heart.  Speak up, speak honestly and speak your mind.  Having an opinion is important, being able to say it out loud is liberating!

A morning of bliss

8 Comments

I am seated comfortably on my deck, coffee in wait, watching the day come to life. I have no Internet connection but I am still compelled to write. My iPhone is lending its support while I enjoy the only bearable temperature the day will afford.

Summer has arrived with a vengeance. Working at a resort on the water allows me to embrace the cool breezes that surf the top of the water but today I am home. Today I am far removed from those refreshing winds and bracing myself for the scorching temperatures that are predicted to reach 37 degrees Celsius with no reprieve from a breeze. (for my American friends – that equates to effing HOT!!)

The lawn is cut, the umbrella is up and the air conditioner is back in its rightful place in my window. Let the day off begin.

Getting by-lines with a little help from my friends

18 Comments

I wrote a post a few days ago about submitting some of my writing to a local magazine in an attempt to get a chance to do some freelance writing.  Many of my blogs are written in the first person and I need to submit something that resembles more of an article including quotes.

This is where I ask for your help.  I would like to write a piece about blogging and was hoping to use some quotes from my blogging friends.  If you are so inclined, I would love to get some of your words about what blogging means to you so I can quote you in the article.  I will post the article here and link to your blogs once I have it finished.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Learning from Ancient Wisdom

5 Comments

Buddha said it best – “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful”.

Truer words could not have been spoken. How can we expect success if we cannot find joy in what we are doing? Whether it be our career or our personal lives, for us to be truly successful in any relationship we must be authentically satisfied with the path we have chosen. We must relish every part of our contentment and let that euphoria help pave the path of our success.

We will never attain great success if we cannot first achieve that absolute feeling of satisfaction that comes with doing something we love to do. So many go through the motions of a daily routine just to get to the end of their day. It is the few and far between that thrive in their lives because they truly love where they are and what they are doing.

I feel that success on many levels. I am, maybe for the first time in a long time, truly happy with my life. I am independent, I am good at my job and love being there and I have many family and friends that are there to remind me of my happiness if I temporarily falter from my bliss. Sure there are many days that do not go as well as intended, but at the end of those days I am still able to see beyond the lower points and know that tomorrow holds the hope of being better.

I sincerely love what I do. My job allows me the opportunity to meet many new people and I crave those relationships. And my writing affords me the freedom to express myself in ways that I cannot during my work day. I have the best of both of my worlds.

My genuine happiness is composed of all of the aspects of my life. And my true success is the fact that I can embrace that happiness and excel at what I do. Regardless of others opinions of my achievements, my happiness remains intact and my prosperity breathes new life every day.

Find your happiness. Within that feeling of contentment lies the path to your true success.

The Write Way – Trifextra Challenge

36 Comments
  • Silence
  • Inspiration
  • Release

Written for the weekend Trifecta Challenge: One of our editors was recently lucky enough to slowly roast on a bouncy, mechanical floor thisclose to nearly 900 other Portlanders for a reading (of the third chapter of his new book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane) and subsequent Q&A by Neil Gaiman.  One of the questions asked of him was, “Can you tell us your writing process in three words?”  He replied, “Glare.  Drink tea.”

This weekend, we’re asking for you to sum up your own process with just three little words.  Give us dry wit, pathos or otherwise.  And remember, we like your blood on the page.  Put it there. – See more at: http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/#sthash.9taUYsHh.dpuf