Silver Linings

I’ve been trying to get the dogs to more than one obedience class per week, so the school’s Tuesday schedule of one morning and one evening class seemed ideal. I’d take each dog separately to one class on Tuesday, and then Ross & I would take them both to the Saturday class. This is the first week I’ve put this plan into operation. My problem child, Zeus, takes more of my energy, so I decided I’d take him to the morning class when I’m fresher, and Hera to the evening class. So I loaded Zeus into the minivan this morning and off we went.

Halfway to the class, I realized I wasn’t wearing the right shoes, but I decided I’d tough it out. Shoes might not sound like a big deal, but when you’re dealing with a 140 pound dog, digging in your heels requires the right footwear.

When we arrived at the church in Southlake, where the school’s website said the class would be held, no one was there. I managed to dig up the instructor’s phone number and was about to call him when another student and dog arrived. As we were unloading, someone else came and told us the class was at the town center. I heard the words, but my brain registered Keller, since that’s where the Saturday classes are often held. Great, I thought, I can swing by the house, pick up my shoes, and head to class.

I began to think something might be wrong when the car in front of me headed straight on Carroll Avenue rather than getting on the highway. Had I misunderstood the new location? I wanted my shoes, though, so I stuck to my plan. Arriving at Keller Town Center, you guessed it, no one was there. I called the instructor to find out where exactly they were in Southlake Town Center and whether I could still get there before it was too late.

There’s another reason I misunderstood the change in location. In Keller, classes are held in a big, open field. Southlake Town Center is a shopping center disguised as a small town downtown. That’s the last place I wanted to go with scaredy boy, so I think I heard what I wanted to hear. Despite that, I decided to take him over to Southlake. We were going to be so late I figured his exposure would be short and it might actually do him some good.

We managed to catch up for about the last third of the class. Zeus did reasonably well considering the situation. He was willing to heel politely for the most part, although his tail stayed tucked. The hardest part for him was waiting outside while the rest of the dogs took a tour of the Apple Store. No, he wasn’t pining for an iPhone 4. People are more likely to scare him if he’s sitting still. And he did become frightened, and I did have to perform a bit of a cleanup, but it wasn’t awful. More important, while he was very anxious, he never panicked or shut down.

After the Apple Store adventure, we walked back to the class rendezvous, had a little water, and dispersed. I’d unknowingly parked about as far from there as I could have. Zeus did quite well walking back to the minivan, even without the security of the larger pack. I think we might be making progress again.

It all worked out for the best. Had I known where class was going to be in the first place, I’d have taken Hera, not Zeus. Had I not forgotten my shoes and gone to the wrong location a second time, the experience might have been overwhelming for Zeus. Sometimes life’s little speed bumps aren’t a bad thing.

A Watchful Buddha

This imposing Buddha keeps watch over the remains of the deceased in the Memorial Shrine at the Land of Medicine Buddha, set deep amongst the redwoods in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains of California. A small group of friends and I had gone there for an overnight retreat and found tremendous refreshment in the peace and tranquility of this center for Mahayana Buddhism. The centerpiece of our stay was a walk along the 8 Verses Pilgrimage Trail. At each stop, we read the verse and corresponding commentary aloud, spent a few minutes in silent contemplation, then shared the meaning we had found. Some of the messages were hard to take, calling for transformation on our parts, but the journey was made easier by our companionship. Perhaps that's the overarching lesson I learned, for the thousandth time, that day: I need not walk through life's struggles alone, nor will I ever lack a friend with whom to share life's many joys.

http://tinyurl.com/ykqhhk8

Woodland Ferns

During the summer of 1997, I had the good fortune to attend a 3-day photography workshop given by Galen Rowell in Glacier National Park. The weather was terrible- overcast at best, rainy most of the time. Our rolls of film were driven down to Kalispell each night to be processed and returned for the next day's critique. I must have spent more than an hour in the rainy woods, staring at the ferns, composing, recomposing, waiting, when a bit of light broke through and I snapped this picture. Feedback from Galen on our photos was gentle but tough and I dreaded what he'd say when my shots came up for review. I was shocked when, except for suggesting some different framing, he actually seemed to like my ferns. It was then I thought, maybe I can do this photography thing.

http://tinyurl.com/yazcng5