My Dog is Forever

A really companionable and indispensable dog is an accident of nature. You can't get it by breeding for it, and you can't buy it with money. It just happens along.

Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.

Always remember, only God loves you more than your dog.

Sense of Change

The past few weeks have been difficult for me. I found a lump in my breast so I went to my family doctor, who was amazed at what she was feeling, ordered an MRI and ultrasound two weeks out and set up an appointment with an oncologist surgeon. The waiting the two weeks to have the tests was like a cruel joke and now again I am waiting two days for the results of my core biopsy they did yesterday as they did not like what they saw on the ultrasound or MRI from last week.

What has made this bearable? Of course my husband, he has been so understanding and wonderful…doing dishes, hugging me more often, being extra sweet, and giving me the remote! He is a one-of-a-kind angel from heaven.

But as I am home alone all day it is the comfort of my critters that make the time pass. Did you know tears of joy contain different substances than those of sadness or pain and dogs are able to tell the difference? Some people believe that dogs can detect cancer, I don’t know for sure about all that, but I do know my three dogs gave stayed closer to me, snuggled more, and have been by my side every moment now since I first noticed this lump. I don’t think it is that they know the answer to the test results but they can detect that something is out of the ordinary. Their sense of smell, heat detection, and ability to identify patterns of behavior we can't see is part of their design for survival.

It is wonderful, and yet odd, that dogs are not afraid of humans from the moment they are born into this world and that we as humans are so attracted to a species other than our own. Our affection, bond, and intensely intimate relationship with our beloved pets is something not normally found in nature, but it works and I am happy it does because this week would have been unbearable if it were not for my three fur children.

Cube

There are ice cubes, Rubik Cubes, DNA cubes, storage cubes, and I am sure many more that I just cannot think of at the moment, but for right now there is only one cube on my mind…my work cube. I have been here for just a few hours and how I feel as if the world has vanished; the green grass and the scent of the flowers and the colors of the leaves cannot be seen from this cube I am entrapped in, the bird’s songs are not heard, the wind is nowhere to be felt upon my face, the sun and clouds are no longer visible when I look up as the sky is completely missing, replaced by dingy fluorescent lighting. I miss the smell of the air when I take a deep breath, I miss the dogs frolicking in the yard while I sit and get pleasure from their fun as they go round and round, playing and jumping and then lapping at the water within the bowl tired from their romp and then finally they would lay upon the earth and rest with the butterflies fluttering by and the sun falling upon their fur coats. To be at home again with all the wonderers of nature and life with the dogs would be the ultimate life of luxury for this simple soul now banished to this cube for eight hours a day, five days a week, longing for the sun and the barking and just the experience of viewing natures wonders any time of day; any day of the week, day after day. The mortgage is due every month, the car needs gas, the groceries need to be purchased, and yet…those lazy days of bliss are what I miss.

Beyond the Concrete

Did you ever just sit outside and watch the clouds go by and then watch as the white puff slowly disappears and fades as a gentle breeze moves it along to intermingle with the blue sky? Did you ever watch a butterfly as it glides through the air fluttering from here to there displaying its magnificent wings of multi-color as if there is not a care in the world? How many times have you stood outside on a quiet morning and just listened to the songs and melody of the neighborhood birds as they make their morning flights to the feeders for breakfast? Have you ever seen a shooting star or looked up into the night sky and gazed at the full moon and saw all the dimensions it beholds, or a sunset over the ocean blue?

How often do we take the time to see what nature has in full miraculous display each and every day for us to behold? I have recently had some time off due to a back injury and have had the luxury to see and hear these truly amazing sights that nature prepares for us each day. As I head back into the full time work a day world tomorrow I hope that I remember the times I took those precious tranquil few minutes to enjoy the world around me, to see past all the concrete buildings, or the traffic on the highway with the loud radios blaring and horns honking, or the even the dishes piled in the sink after preparing dinner. Although these are a reality of our lives, they are man made, and can take a toll on us if we allow them to, that is why God created a world of pure pleasure filled with treasure abound from nature. Take time each day to see the world in it’s natural beauty beyond the concrete and human noise and watch a sunrise without worry of how soon you have to be at work, gaze at the hummingbird floating in the air retracting the sugar from the flowers, even just take a moment and embrace the feeling of your beloved pet sleeping soundly with his head upon your lap. Life is to be lived and enjoyed and each day we should put aside a small slice of our time and savor a little wonder of nature and serenity.