Grant and I have always gotten along really well.  Lately, he has been doing something out of the ordinary for him.  Grant has decided that he wants to sit on my lap.  He is not, by nature, a lap dog.  Maizy has been.  From the first day we got her, she decided that my lap would be her place to sit. 

But Grant has never been that way. He was more a loner dog, going away to meditate by himself on the most important issues in life:

·        How do I get more treats?

·        Why do like to bark at people riding bicycles and motorcycles?

·        Does the Dog Whisperer really just whisper to dogs?

·        Why do people still like The Chicago Cubs?

I think Grant watched Maizy sit on my lap continually and thought: "Maybe she knows something I don't know! I think I need to try that if she likes it that much." So he did and he really, really liked it. To the point that now he and Maizy fight over who gets to sit in my lap. 

In so many ways this is a good thing and a place of growth.  I think it also has something to teach us.  Grant watched his sister do something she really liked and decided to copy it.  He found that it was as good for him also.

We watch people around us do great things, things they truly enjoy. Yet, we hesitate to follow in their footsteps. We sit on the sidelines and try to forge our own way exclusively. Don't get me wrong, I am completely in favor of being your own person but there is wisdom in exploring what others do and enjoy. We just may find something that helps us and feeds our souls, just like Grant.

Thanks G, once again you teach us things in your own way.  What else can we learn from you, buddy?

 

New Years Resolutions 2012

Looking back at my resolutions from last year, I didn't do very well.  I only accomplished one of three. Passing the CFRE was a big thing but the others didn't happen. Onto next year!

My resolutions for this year are based on one of things that happened last year that wasn't in my resolutions and two repeats:

1.  Maintain my weight at between 200-210 lbs.  I lost  over 40 pounds this year.  That was a huge goal that wasn't on my resolutions for 2011 and they key is maintaining for this year. I have to be smart in my eating choices and continue to exercise.
2. Write in my blog more.  I need to restart my blog on Africa and write in this one more.   After two posts on the first day of the year, I am off to a good start.  My goal is to post in all three of my blogs weekly.
3.  Build Sequoia up to a 25k a year consulting buiness.

Those three would be a good year!

Maizy's Lessons Part 8: Going to Our Favorite Place

Maizy has always been a snuggly dog.  On first day she came home with us over 3 years ago, she found her favorite place: my lap.  When I sit down on the couch, she immediately finds me.  It is like a radar goes off in her head, "Beep, beep Dad is sitting down!". She runs to the couch waits until I put up the footrest, cross my legs. That is her signal she can jump into my lap and curls up like a wooly bear. (I had no idea a dog her size could curl up that small!)

This is her favorite place. If I stayed on the couch all day, she would stay there 95% of the time. The other 5 percent would be to eat, go out and bark at a dog passing by the window. 

Maizy will sigh a few times while she is curled up.  Those sighs are of complete satisfaction, there is no place that she would rather be. (Her only nemesis is my laptop which at times occupies my lap.  It doesn't last very long usually, she convinces me to move it easily.)

She never misses an opportunity to go to her favorite spot. I think we might be better as humans if we take more opportunities to go to our favorite spot, stay there as long as we can and leave only when something better comes along but come back as soon as possible.  We get lost in trying to accomplish things, achieve things.  But in the end, I think Maizy has it right. The things that fulfill us, make us happy and connect us to those we love are the things that mean the most. It is important to find those spots, cherish and nurture them.

Thanks Maizy for teaching us to value our favorite places.  It is easy for life to get us so busy that we forget.  Every time you curl up in my lap, I will remember.  Let's hope everyone else finds their spot too.

I have much to learn, puppy girl.

Grant's Lessons Part 7: The Greatest Person in the World

Grant thinks Marybeth is the best person in the world, hands down.  I agree with him so it isn't a problem at all.  I would be very scared of the person that I ever tried to hurt Marybeth in his presence because I am pretty sure Grant would lose all sense of control!

I think it is important that someone in our world thinks we are the greatest thing ever created. For many of us, that is our mom.  But beyond our moms, our dogs have a particular tendency to think we are the greatest people in the world. (Event though I probably come in a very distant second to my wife with Grant!)

Seeing the love the Grant shows for Marybeth every day. it makes me wonder how much better the world would be if all of us would try to treat someone each day as the greatest person in the world.   It could be the same person or a different person every day but I just wonder. Would we smile more? Give more compliments and hugs? Treat the person that cuts us off in traffic differently? (Okay, that last one is probably stretching it a bit too far!)

Thanks G for loving with your whole 20 pound heart.  It makes me even happier that you chose the woman I love the most in the world to share your heart with.  We have much to learn from the complete love and devotion that you show everyday.....it's all about love isn't it G?

Grant's Lessons Part 6: All Dressed Up With Some Place to Go

The story of my life with my wife is infused with Grant stories.  But this story takes place before I was in the picture. Marybeth had a wonderful dog named Sparky that was her loyal companion and best friend for 20 years. In an effort to revitalize him as he got older, she started looking for another, younger dog.  She came across the picture of teddy bear-looking ball of oreo cookie blizzard fuzz named Granite.  She was immediately smitten with his picture and decided to go see him.

As Marybeth walked in, Grant immediately over and jumped into her lap.  He had found his person and was so excited to see her! It was like he was the old school TV orphan who put on his suit and bowtie to make a good impression when a set of parents came to choose a child.  There was one person already looking at G so Marybeth sadly left without him. I think the person who was showing the dogs from the shelter saw the look in G's eyes so they ran after Marybeth to convince her to take Grant home. It was time for Grant to go to his forever home. She decided to tak him and when they got to Marybeth's condo, he immediately ran to her bed and layed down. He knew he was home.

These lyrics from Switchfoot could have been his soundtrack that day:

    Now I know
    Yeah, this is home
    I've come too far
   And I won't go back
   this is home

Grant had a checkered past and needed someone kind, caring and compassionate like my wife.  He has pushed buttons in both of us but we still love him. But she never forgets that day when he was trying so hard to put his best foot, or paw, forward

There are many times in life when we do that very thing. We try so hard to put our best foot or paw forward, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But that shouldn't stop us from continually trying. Most of the time, our inhibitions and fear of what people will think create our prisons for us.  Maybe we should be more like Grant: forget our inhibitions and just go for it. I don't suggest actually jumping in someone's lap per se, but I think you get the picture.

Thanks G, for being such a big part of our lives and showing us how to live without inhibitions. We love you buddy!

Maizy's Lessons Part 7: Cheese and Bacon

Maizy doesn't like people who smell different than Marybeth, Grant and I coming into her house.  I mean really, really doesn't like it.  She has gotten better in the three years that we have had her but still she starts to bark and growl as soon as she smells someone different in the house.

We have worked with her enough so that she is getting a little more used to it....and little is the key word in that phrase.  When my parents came to visit over Memorial Day, we were worried about how Maizy would deal with the interlopers!

The first 3 days were difficult with much barking and growling. We were hoping that Maizy would wear herself out and calm down but that didn't happen until day 4.  When my parents came over that morning...something just broke.  Maizy just went into the second bedroom and hung out in her crate even when other new people came into the house later! Of course, Marybeth and I were thrilled so she got two of her favorite things in the world as treats for most of the day: cheese and bacon. (She is definitely her father's daughter!) She stayed there for most of the day only coming out of her crate to go out or come see me when I went to the master bedroom. While we hope that someday she will enjoy being around new people, this was a huge step. 

If you gave me cheese and bacon, I would probably do whatever you asked also.  I have friends who knew they could get me to help them move if they would buy lunch and dinner.  This got me thinking about what motivates us.  Whether it is time, food, money, etc., it doesn't change the fact that we, at times, have trouble doing the things that scare us. And if we do, maybe we will get cheese and bacon for doing it. Not literally of course but I think you know what I mean.  Getting to the point where we allow something to break in our lives comes with rewards, no matter how scary it is.

Thanks Maizy for showing me how to let something break in my life and I hope there is cheese and bacon waiting for me.

Worn Out

I have gotten to a point in my life where I really enjoy getting as much value out of things as I can. No, I am not an extreme couponer or anything like that. But lately one area where my life has changed is in my clothing. I have given a lot of them away but something else has happened: I have worn my clothes for so long, that a few of them had to be recycled. Not given away but recycled.

I liked the clothes, enjoyed wearing them but they had just gotten to the point that my wife felt like they had served their purpose. And, they truly had!

Here's to constant use rather than buying new over and over again.