I Love This Picture

I love this picture of my dog Mace when he was 4 months old. First of all he is small! He is not small at this time. He's a big guy. 100 pounds of a big guy. But in this picture he is the little pup we brought home just 3 weeks prior.

Secondly, I love the picture because he is not letting a fence get in his way of being exuberant.

Mace does things full out. He eats happily, sleeps soundly (snoring optional), he's always excited to see me, even if all I did was walk to the mail box and return.

Nothing gets in his way of full self-expression.

Yesterday we had a rain storm, complete with lightening and thunder. Mace had never experienced thunder before, not knowing what it was he went into protect Mom mode.

He stood between me and the door, perhaps thinking there were some intruders pounding on the walls trying to get at me. In his world that 's just not gonna happen. Again, nothing gets between him and his self-expression. He does things fully or not at all.

I do admire that and hope to take on more of his ways of being in my life.

Be on Alert!

I am grateful for my awareness, for cell phones, for my dogs. for early morning walks. and for my car.

All this might sound strange, but I was walking my dogs in the park this morning, as we do every morning. (6 AM) Talking on the cell phone with Steve and Charlie, my coaching buddies, and I noticed a man hanging around the play sets.

As I am at this park everyday at this time, I know the usual people that come and go during the early morning. There is the guy on his bike with the two huskies, the two women that take a speed walk with their yellow lab, the husband and wife with their Jack Russel Terrier and a big mutt, and the lady with her two boxers.

We all come and go at various times. Today I was alone in the park. Which I was happy about, that meant that my dogs could run freely.

I was on my cell talking to Steve and Charlie, and I noticed a man. I thought it was strange. He seemed to be pretending to work out, but actually not getting anything done.

I kept my awareness towards him, finished my call with the guys and hooked up the dogs and began to walk to my car.

The man was working his way towards me. This was when I noticed he was in jeans, not sweats.

"Oh god, I thought, lets get the dogs in the car quickly." The dogs complied and I got in the car fast. The man had covered ground quite fast. I locked the car up and drove away.

I have no proof the man was 'after' me. Just the hairs on the back of my neck on full alert.

I will tell the other ladies that use this park to watch themselves from now on.

And I am grateful for my awareness. For my dogs, my cell phone and my car!