Patience



Brody - still "worried," but home at last

 Hi everyone,
Yes, I do take my own advice from time to time ;-)

Last time, we talked about using caution when making decisions in life or using caution about letting certain aspects of our lives affect our self-worth (such as our jobs).

I also mentioned that we would soon be driving 2 hours to see some rescued dogs and we wanted to use caution in deciding if it really is time and who should be chosen.

When we arrived at the event, there were several dogs - but only 3 of them were adoptable...and 2 were chihuahuas. Cutest little things! But at 5 months old, they were quite fidgety. We didn't feel ready to take on a couple of "tiny toddlers." And we're really "big dog" people. So I sat and petted the only other option available. I was pretty sure HE wasn't the one, because we were looking for a girl, with the beautiful merle coloring of a typical Aussie. But as I watched how patient he was with everyone and everything happening around him, it started to dawn on me that his was the type of calm personality that we needed if we were to add a dog to our family of 2 kitties. We stayed for 90 minutes and during that time he never snapped, growled, or even frowned at any of the other dogs - even blind and deaf Rose, who was crawling all over him, or the chihuahuas who were always prancing around somewhere near him.

But we left. We wanted to make sure we were thinking it through logically. Well, logically, he is very calm. Logically, he may be difficult to adopt out because he doesn't have the flashy colors or blue eyes of a lot of Australian shepherds - so we may be his best bet. Logically, he's already probably 3 years old and most people want puppies or "juveniles." Logically...the timing seemed right after 3 unsuccessful attempts to adopt in the past five months.

When we found out his background - living at the end of a chain for most of his life, turned in to a high-kill shelter, rescued from there but placed with 3 different foster families in 5 months...well, logically - this boy needed us ;-). So after I returned home from a business trip last Saturday night, we made the decision to drive to Tampa again on Sunday to adopt Brody.
Best. Decision. Ever.

I am happy to say that our caution and patience were rewarded with what seems to be the perfect fit for us. He is gentle and huggable. He's still a bit "worried" about whether or not this is his forever home, but after seeing his new toys, balls, cookies, treats, and TWO large dog beds, I think he's figuring out that he's here to stay.

I wish I could say I use that kind of caution in all of my important decisions. Sometimes I THINK I'm using caution when really I'm just taking time to talk myself into or out of something. But this has taught me that even when we rightly proceed with caution, sometimes we have to take a leap of faith. Is there an area in which you need to proceed with caution? Or are you holding back so much so that you'll never make the decision? Is it time to take a leap of faith?

And PATIENCE - oh my! This is definitely not my strong suit, as evidenced by trying to adopt 3 other dogs in  the past 5 months. And I struggle particularly with being patient with people - and sometimes with being patient with myself! Do you need to become more patient? In what areas do you struggle with that? Your boss? Spouse? Kids? Friends? Pets? Neighbors? Parents? Employees? Strangers????  The list can get quite long, can't it? How about we make a pact to practice patience for the next couple of weeks? I suspect we'll all find that our lives are calmer and more enjoyable...and I'll vote for that!

Drop me a note and let me know how you're being tested in the areas of caution or patience. The need for either or both of those in our lives can pop up quite frequently...we might as well pay attention!

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

Caution...go slowly!



Beautiful flower against that old wooden fence!

 Hi everyone!
Well, today seems like a good day to talk about "caution" - the first day of summer and the living is easy, right? :-)

Actually, here in Florida, the living is more dangerous this time of year - partly because the sun is becoming stronger and stronger and partly because it's hurricane season. In either case, Floridians are constantly reminded to take precautions to stay safe physically.

Sometimes we need to take precautions to stay emotionally safe too, don't we? Maybe we are being treated unfairly at work and we begin to believe our worth is lessened by that. CAUTION! Your work does not equal your self-worth (although I'm a firm believer in always giving 111%).

Maybe we've gotten entangled in a relationship that we know isn't good for us - whether it's romantic, a friendship, online, at work, or whatever. CAUTION! Relationships are wonderful parts of our lives, but some can be toxic and we need to protect ourselves from those.

Sometimes we get carried away and spend money foolishly in the heat of the moment. Oh, but that antique is so beautiful! Oh, but it's only one big splurge on that cool pair of shoes. Oh, but I really need to start investing and this seems like a stock that will skyrocket. CAUTION! A stock that "seems" like a steal may well steal your peace when it plummets after some talking head in Washington tells us that grass isn't really supposed to be green! :-)  That antique will gather dust just like the piece of furniture it's replacing. Those shoes will sit in your closet most of the time. And you'll be left with a smaller bank account and a whole new set of worries over that money that just went down the drain. Not to say that treating yourself to something you love or investing in stock is bad...but caution is definitely GOOD in this area!

And of course, we need to be careful about other everyday decisions we make. You all know I've been pining away for a doggie - we've tried 3 times to adopt and none of them have been successful. Tomorrow we'll be taking a trip to Tampa to see some rescued Australian shepherds and see if one of them belongs in our family. I need to remind myself to proceed with...CAUTION! Cute does not necessarily mean compatible with the rest of our four-legged family. As much as I want another dog, I don't want to bring extra stress into our lives!

So what do YOU need to be more cautious about?  We shouldn't move through life afraid of our own shadows - but there's no need to permanently throw caution to the wind, either! Let me know where you need to proceed with caution - or where you just need to have your eyes wide open ;-)

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com