A Little Faith

On Wednesday, as is my habit, I was at the Pike Place Market before going to work. There I saw the most amazing and wonderful dog...her name is Faith. You may have seen her on "Oprah". She has no front legs and actually stands on her hind legs to walk. I couldn't believe it; I stopped and stared, then ran over as she was crossing the street.
She didn't care much for the bricks making up the pavement and struggled, so one of her human companions carried her across. As they got to the curb, I ran up and asked her name, if I could give her a treat. She looked tired and I couldn't even begin to imagine how hard it must be for her. I gave her the cookie from my pocket and left before I began crying...I'm a sucker for a pretty face and a sad story (just ask Sparky!).
I wish I had gotten a photo with my mobile phone, but even better for you, I've embedded the Oprah segment from YouTube. Watch it, and see if you don't start to tear up. It's beautiful, inspirational and sad, all at the same time.

Just a Little Email

I've done too much online shopping in my computer life, and it shows in the sheer numbers of ads for sales and such that my inbox receives. One day I'll go through them and un-subscribe to the ones that I do not need, i.e., about 90%. It will undoubtedly make my life a little less cluttered.
For today, though, there was one email that I was REALLY excited about...

Hi aunty Kendle it's me Justin. Thank you for the presents. I really liked them. Espicially the science expirement book. I like to watch the life with Derek. School has ben grest because I made lots of friends. Baseball seasons is coming up, I'm gonna be on a team. I'm not sure witch team I'm on. I hope i'm on my friend Austins team.
Will right back. LOVE JUSTIN

Justin is my nephew, my godchild. He's 11. He loves sports, but he's also a very good writer. I think about him every day. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to get an email from him. I'd love for him to come to Seattle.

Daffodils!

More Randominity

A few more random things about me...

1. I used to have my left eyebrow pierced. Nature and my nephew took care of that one.

2. Selective Service once came after me because I didn't register. No, I have not had gender re-assignment surgery.

3. My left heel had a run-in with the spokes of a bicycle when I was two. Doctors grafted skin from the top of my foot to my heel.

4. Snoopy is my idol.

5. My blood type is B positive.(Isn't that a no-brainer?LOL)

6. I secretly love to read People magazine.

7. Five women I would love to have to dinner include: Doris Chase, Frida Kahlo, Edith Piaf, Jennifer Saunders and Alice B. Toklas.

8. My one full sibling died at the age of four months.

9. My totem animals are fox and otter.

10. I came thisclose to being named Mando or Vio. If you don't get it, think about my maiden name. Then think about my half brother's poor daughter, who is named Brooke.

The Almost

The word "almost" gets a bad rap. I remember my grandma saying, "Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades", to which I would reply, " And probably atomic bombs, too", which would get me the evil eye and possibly a smack upside the head.
However, I've learned that "almost" is actually a good thing. You can take the attitude about almost being equivalent to failure and stick it in the recycle bin. If given the choice between doing something "almost" and not doing it at all, I'll take "almost", almost every time. Almost means you tried, and maybe learned something in the process. Almost means you are that much closer to getting it right.
I had an "almost" this morning. It was the last morning of my yoga immersion, which also means no more getting up at 30 minutes to dawn, at least until I feel a need to do it again.
Yoga is about balance...the body and the mind. Balance is not one of my strong suits, especially when it comes to balance poses. I tend to fall over, which is funny to watch when I'm attempting tree pose. I always have to keep from yelling "Tiiiimber!" as I lose what small bit of dignity I may have had. Thank the Great Mother for a sense of humor.
Aubrey, our instructor, had us doing the side plank pose this morning. Side plank, when correctly done, looks like this:I have never, ever been able to do side plank pose. Not even leaning against the wall, which is my trick for tree, half moon, etc. Face plant is inevitable.
But this morning was different. Without the wall behind me, I opted to try a modified side plank, leaning on my forearm. It's an "almost". I used one leg as a kind of kickstand, and then moved it into place next to the other leg.
By gum, it worked! I was shaky, and maybe lasted only thirty seconds. But I definitely did an "almost" side plank. Aubrey noticed and ran over to congratulate me, whereupon I crashed to the floor, breathing "Mother of...".

I'm going to keep trying, because it almost felt great!

As much as I consider myself a music aficionado, I am woefully out of touch with the current music scene. This is made even more ridiculous considering I work in the midst of some of the finest music writers on the West Coast. However, I DO read what's being written. I have been getting quite an education, recently, on the state of hip-hop in Seattle. I'm not buying much music, but boy, I can talk your eyebrows off about it.

Artificial intellectualism notwithstanding, I recently bought an album. Seriously, I haven't purchased music in months. I can't even tell you who recommended the album. I might have even seen it on (shudder) television. It doesn't matter. There is a great, rollicking, rocking song on this album and I want to share it with you. Here is a link to a version of it, via YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPUbwM-robA&feature=related

For me, it's one of those songs...one that will make me dance no matter where I am or what I'm doing. It's a great song to bounce you away from the Pit of Despair, if you're hovering near there. Sometimes we need a song like that to remind us of the joy as well as the pain of living.

"Keep bringin' it the rest of your life..."

By Your Leave

A wise man named Tom Browning once taught me an important lesson: Nobody "makes" you mad. It's your choice to get mad. People like to press buttons, and get reactions. I'm seriously guilty of this, but I'm approaching it from another angle, so bear with me...
The key word here is "choice". We all have choices. They start the moment we choose to open our eyes in the morning. When someone says something to provoke, it's your choice to react. You could stop and think, "Why did he/she do that?" Many times however, we choose so quickly that it doesn't even seem like a choice. It may even be a choice you made long ago to react in that way every time a similar situation arises, so of course it doesn't seem like you thought about it.
I've been reading a little bit about a couple in the news. I think they're R&B singers. They had a fight, I guess, and he struck her. What gets me is the comments I've read about it: She "made" him mad, so he hit her. She deserved it.
Let me say this: NO. She said something, or did something, and his "choice" was to get angry. His choice was to strike her. He didn't have to get angry, he didn't have to hit her. He could have asked for a time out, or left the room. He could have tried to talk about the situation. She did not MAKE him do anything. She is not responsible for his emotions, just like you are not responsible for mine. Nobody, but nobody, deserves being hit, either. Even if it doesn't hurt much, it's a shock to the system.

I am basically a happy person. I choose it. You can call me "Pollyanna" and all other kinds of names. Fine. But this may be the only life I get, and I want to enjoy it all I can. That means being happy, because I've found I get a lot farther with a smile than with a sneer. It hasn't always been the case, and I've had people blame me for "making" them mad. ("I wouldn't hit you if you wouldn't make me mad!") I don't take it anymore.

But let's get along to today's reason to celebrate: I'm a happy person. Things can happen that are entirely out of my control, but I try not to blame others. Not always easy. People who are supposed to be helpful are not, often through no fault of their own.
Today was not one of those instances. I was having trouble with a credit card. It was coming up declined, even though I paid the bill just last week. I called the number for customer service, and got a lovely lady named Ms. Harris. She told me what the problem was, got the card reinstated, and told me about her son and daughter. She was happy to have a pleasant customer to speak with, and I was happy to be that customer. We could have spent all day talking on the phone. When we finished, I asked to speak to her supervisor. I'm sure these folks hear complaints all the time. We all complain about bad customer service, but I wanted to talk to someone about GOOD customer service.
I was connected to her supervisor, and told him how courteous, how pleasant, and how helpful she had been. How I wanted to make sure she was recognized for her good work. I think he was a bit startled. But I've worked with the public. We tend to forget we're talking to other human beings, whether in New Delhi or Delaware. I appreciate when someone treats me as such, and I know she did, too.
I didn't "make" her happy. She was already that way. What I did was to choose to deepen that happiness a little, by adding my own. Come on in! The happiness is fine.