Challenges...

Brody's graduation :-) 

 

Hi everyone,

 

Well, you can see by the look on Brody's face that he found the whole "graduation" thing a challenge! He has been "in school" for close to 5 months with holidays and spring break (lol), but he did pass his AKC Canine Good Citizen test last week. It was a bit of a challenge for him to stay at the end of a 20-foot leash while I walked away, but he did a great job with that and the other 9 pieces of the test. It is a bigger challenge for him to do what I ask when it's something he reallllly doesn't want to do - like get off the chair where we sit together so I can straighten his blanket! And it's a challenge for me to lift him since he now weighs nearly 75#... Our next challenge will be to see if he enjoys therapy work. Our goal is to visit a local hospice or nursing home once a week. It will be up to Brody whether or not we continue to do it after a few test runs. If it is too much of a challenge and it stresses him too much, we will discontinue the project. He's been through too much to stress him out intentionally.

 

Brody is facing somewhat minor challenges, of course. But we all face more major challenges from time to time, don't we? Sometimes it's health-related, as with my husband right now. For the past month, he has been unable to open his mouth far enough to eat. HUGE challenge in keeping his weight up, keeping enough nutrition in him, keeping his energy level up, keeping his temper because of the stress...and keeping my patience, I hate to admit.

 

I have a couple of friends who are facing significant health challenges, too, both related to that dreaded "c" word - cancer. Every day is a challenge to stay positive, to try not to get consumed with what the future might hold. 

 

Sometimes our challenges are relationship-based...whether that's with a significant other, a sibling, a co-worker, an elderly parent, a friend...dealing with other humans can present unique challenges to say the least. 

 

Sometimes the challenge is with finances. Those kinds of challenges can appear overnight with car repairs, household maintenance, helping someone else, medical bills...the list could go on and on.

And sometimes the challenge involves our work - or for some of you, lack thereof. I have friends who are searching for work at an age when they should be planning retirement. Jobs for those of us over a "certain age" can be a challenge. Learning a new job can be a challenge. Finding work that we enjoy can be a challenge. Finding a job that pays enough to allow us to eat can be a challenge. Finding enough work when we are self-employed can be a challenge. 

For me, it's apparently a challenge to keep up with my blog - even though it's something I love. I feel an obligation to stay ahead of my workshop schedule, help my husband, pay bills, shop for groceries, do the laundry...you know, all that "fun stuff"!  So the blog doesn't always get the attention I would like to give it. But I can't beat myself up over it. I have to prioritize so as not to cause myself additional anxiety over what I left undone.

Obviously, what I'm getting at here is that there seems to be no shortage of challenges for most of us. But truly, how we respond often determines whether or not the challenge gets more daunting or we learn to handle it with the least amount of stress. If we focus only on the negative aspects of a challenge, we can pretty well bet that negativity will continue to hound us. If we at least TRY to find the positives, for those brief moments when we are in the "positive zone," things will be easier to handle - and those brief moments might stretch out to not-so-brief moments of being in that zone.

The ultimate challenge, of course, is how do we stay in the positive zone more??

What do you think? How do YOU stay in the positive zone when faced with significant challenges?

Let me know - I love to hear from you!

Blessings,

Linda

www.LindasWorkshops.com

Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

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

Simplicity - right??

Well, I think I lost a week or so in there somewhere! Here it is, 2 weeks after my last post - something I was sure would never happen.

The amusing thing is that I spoke to a client about 10 days ago and she made an innocent statement: "I just want a simple life." I told her she had just given me the word for that week's post - simplicity. Then life happened!

A husband with a pulled muscle in his back, a car that won't quit (Literally! It would NOT turn off!), a puppy who the vet says is probably within days or weeks of leaving us, 2 doctors' appointments for hubby, several new programs to prepare for along with a week-long business trip coming up, new technology equipment in my office (yuk!), and the list goes on - as I know yours does, too. I guess the simplicity gremlins heard what I was going to blog about and decided to make sure that didn't happen!

So I have been reflecting (when I have 37 seconds to do so!) on how I can gain some simplicity in my life again. I'll be honest here - I'm not sure it's going to happen for me in the next 2 or 3 weeks and I have to be willing to admit that without carrying any guilt around about it. I'm pretty sure July will be a little "lighter" for me, but who wants to wait until July???

And yet, if that's what happens, it's what happens. I need to have PATIENCE, the same word I mentioned on my last blog. However, I also need to be AWARE (there's THAT word again) of how full my schedule is right not and not say "yes" to anything that is not vitally important to me. It's so easy to do, isn't it? A friend wants you to stop and have coffee, someone wants you to do "just this one little thing," a spouse asks you to handle a minor errand - and yet, it can all become just too, too much.

So I think the next blog word will be vital - as in, what is the difference between what is vital to you and what's urgent?

A little food for thought - until next time :-) In the meantime, let's all try to have patience - with ourselves AND with others!

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

Patience, PATIENCE!

Hi everyone,
Here it is Tuesday already! I hope you had a blessed Easter holiday weekend.

Who did you appreciate last week? I got a very sweet note from my sister telling me she appreciates me :-). She already knows I appreciate her. I wrote about her generosity and kindness in a story that got published last year - she's my hero when it comes to helping others...

What did you appreciate this past week? I appreciated a game of Scrabble with my husband on Sunday - and the chance to watch one of my favorite TV shows this weekend - "As Time Goes By." I don't watch TV much, so I "save up" to really enjoy the couple of favorites that I have.

And this week's word is...patience!! Either I am running out of it or people have started a conspiracy to see if they can grab it away from me, ha!

I live in a retirement community - no, of COURSE I'm not old enough, but my husband is :-) Anyway, most of the people here are...retired - surprise, surprise. The thing is, I think many of them really need to go back to work or find something constructive to DO with their time. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that for the past 4 days I have heard the leaf blowers out in surround-sound (front and back!) no less than 4 or 5 hours every single day. The leaves get blown into the street for pick up and as they're being blown, more are falling. So out comes the leaf blower the next morning - and the next - and the next. It can be a very irritating noise, let me assure you. Add to that our regular lawn maintenance crews weed-whacking and mowing and it's a constant drone. And so...I try to be patient.

But then I go to the grocery store that is right out in front of our community - and guess what? They got bored with leaf blowing and now they are standing in the middle of the aisles...picture it: cart, husband, wife - stretched across nearly every aisle of the grocery. No single file here, no siree Bob! And so...I try to be patient.

I recognize that I am blessed to have wonderful neighbors. They happen to like yard work a wee bit more than I do (I still can't understand why they are willing to pay a hefty homeowner's association fee that includes lawn care!) and I need to be more tolerant of that. And so...I try to be patient - at the mailbox, on the street, at the bank - wherever.

My little crippled cat just ate and is sleeping peacefully - until his "brother" starts agitating him. Then they are sparring like middle-weight champions and I have to stop what I'm doing and referee to make sure the crippled guy doesn't get beat up. And so...I try to be patient.

My elderly pup just went out 10 minutes ago - but guess what? She needs to go out again. I stop what I'm doing and take her out, where she - guess what? Stands smelling the wind! And so...I try to be patient.

My husband - well, let's not even go there, LOL. After 31 years, that is one area I HAVE developed SOME patience in!

My question for you is...where and with whom do you need to have more patience? I know people have to be patient with me at times and it's only fair that I return the favor. And, honestly, it's not going to hurt me one bit to be more patient. Actually, I think it will do me a world of good... how about you?

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