Dear fellow list listener and reader, A STORY OF A little BOY AND A small DOG "What Did You Learn In Life Today George? One day recently with the cold December winds settling the temperature into the low twenties I relearned several valuable lessons; lessons I seemingly had forgotten.........{ In 9 pt. type} Think small. Yes come on down here and join me as I tell you this story about a little boy by the name of stevie and a small dog who goes by the name of Dillon . On this typically chilled New England afternoon my mood was drooping as fast as the temperature. Thinking small is only one of the tenets by which I try to guide my life. Another is try to accomplish something every day. Not as easy as one might think if one is weighted down by Parkinsons disease. On this particular Monday, although there was plenty of time of time on the clock, this was one day I was ready to throw in the towel and go back to bed but for such a curmudgeon I'm a fairly positive thinker and so I put one step in front of the other knowing that I could always wash the dishes before the midnight hour arrived. OK we can all get up now. Just wanted to show you the ground view.{Resume 12 pt type} For hours I had called or visited any number of friends and merchants but no one could help me. Neither printer could print for me; a framer couldn't frame for me; a record store couldn't find a record for me; a newspaper reporter couldn't do a side-bar story on me and my video; a friend, who earlier in the day asked me for a ride since her daughter is 16 and just got her driving licence and really needed the car, no longer needed the ride . I was unable to get on the phone with several friends, WGBH-TV; the Nurse Manager for Nurse's Training at a local hospital and to boot it was only shortly after the lunch hour. This was not going to be a fun day or so I thought at least until I rediscovered a still another tenet which goes something like : "If it isn't working from where you are then take it somewhere else." And so I got into my car intending on going no where in particularly but thinking that I might do well to go to the gym and work off the gathering frustration. Instead I went to the horseback riding school for handicapped people [I'm on the waiting list for lessons]. to see if there were any lessons being taught that day and then my bad luck broke for there was indeed a 3 year old due to arrive at any moment for an hours lesson. Stevie, dispite having slept on the way over appeared focused,eager and very much in control of himself and his nearby environment although he decided to look at or wave to the onlookers only on occasion. He did not appear frightened of the horse nor at all challenged by the gentle instructions issued by his side-walker. He rode the horse sitting up, lying down on his back and across the saddle area getting a good stretching. He experiences dystonia in his legs which makes his walking difficult but in his year and a half on a horse had improved his balance and his walking/running showed that improvement according to his mom who most kindly answered my many questions. But probable Stevie's most remarkable obseverable feature is to be found in his eyes......I thought I recognized the clearness of his thinking, an intense sense of wisdom well beyond his years but maybe not. I saw little seriousness, sadness or frustration for himself or his health.. What I did notice was a dollop of bemusement and a bunch [ that's two handfuls] of humor. He enjoyed playing tricks on me. By the riding area there is a platform with stairs at one end and a ramp at the other. He would make in haste toward the stairs in his tottering gate looking to all his and my world [and perhaps only mine on second thought] that he was going to go airborne down those huge dangerous stairs. I instinctively reached out my hand which he took but as I was preparing to support his decent down these giant stairs he would let go of my hand and with a gleeful sound he went the other way down the ramp. He repeated this activity until he was satisfied that I would never catch on to his little game as evidenced by my outreached hand. Running came next. No small fete with dystonia gripping his legs but off he went only to fall but recover each time as I reached down for him. He certainly established his independence from me but this spirited response told me of what was there but not to be seen by my eyes. He is a strong of mind person who values his interdependence with his mom, his teachers, his [for an hour or so] horse, Smoky and this grateful recipient of today's lesson......That the handicap comes to only what Stevie/ George allow it to be. In fact it may not be a handicap at all. Only a physical limitation leaving much room for our heart and mind to grow. *********************************** And then there is "The Matter of Sally's Dog " or should it be called 'A Lick In Time.... " As I was leaving "school" today I became reacquainted with Dillon a Jack Russell kind of dog who I had met a few weeks ago on my first visit to this riding school. Dillon isn't noted for being laid back, reserved, I could care less about your problem kind of dog. No sir , Dillon gets right to the matter at hand or face. You see, Dillon figures the whole world would be a better place if every one would lick [and lick ] one another. Dillon reasons that it would not be possible for say, a batterer to batter his "Loved Ones" if he were busy licking their face. How could a bunch of young folk ever "party hearty" if a bunch of jack Russells or parents [hey, there's a novel idea] were there and every time a young-en tried to pick up a bottle some ones leap on to them and lick their face? Do you think different breeds of dogs would have a different approach/philosophy to the "party hearty" type gathering ? Would big Labs simply sit on the party goers? Would Irish Sheep dogs "herd" them out of harms ways. What about Chihusahuas? [Yes what about them! The little......!] Wouldn't their incessant low pitched and sharp barking send every one home early? A local chief of police recently proposed renting buses to transport offending party goers to holding and processing centers. With out discussing the meritlessness of this proposal doesn't it make more sense for people to blow their dog whistles. Within minutes the neighborhood would be flooded with dogs all set to do their things; the Labs to sit upon, the Irish Sheep dogs to herd, the Seeing Eye dog to see their blind drunk charges home, the brave Chihusahuas to nip at the heals of the slow-to-disperse etc. Sorry for the digression Dillon but your lick in time encouraged me to spread the word. [ DROP A DIME__LICK A CRIME ] Back to the scene....December cold, my feet and face are cold, frozen you might say and Sally lets Dillon out of her car where he had been for the past hour and he made a beeline for everyone at the exact same moment resulting in there a sniff, here a sniff.... There a bark, here a bark. This dog is totally unorganized!! Ready he was to climb up my leg but settled instead to be picked up. And was his tiny body shivering ....combination of the cold and excitement. I don'tthink Sally knew what to say..."Should I take Dillon off his hands? Should I take George off Dillon's paws!" Maybe I wasn't holding him correctly. Like there is a correct way of holding this moving bundle of cold energy. Maybe she took me to be a dog napper. Then I thought I noticed a sense of relief come over her face when I tucked Dillon inside my sport coat. He began to relax as the warmth from my chest and arms made its way into his frame and in gratitude or as a result of his perpetual motion he leaned back and licked my face.... My coat, my hands, my glasses..... Anything that could be licked . As I handed Dillon back to Sally I was aware of this quick, small jolt of pain that sometimes comes at times of departure but this brief jolt was insignificant when compared to the pleasure of the hour. So thanks to you, Steve and Dillon, for reminding me of some old but forgotten tenets about how I should live my life=8A "Think small" "If it isn't working from where you are then take it somewhere el= se." " Accomplish something every day by putting one foot in front of the other instead of your mouth" " Avoid saying ' for me' too many times in a given day" Recent additions "Be grateful for being who you are for you could be the local Chief of Police" " Drop a dine....Lick a crime" " When you are cold get inside someone's coat" OK, OK I just made that one up. Love with an attitude george [log in to unmask]