Live life as a dog would

At my office, I long ago instituted sharing of "One Thing" that made a positive difference in the life of anyone on my staff.  It didn't have to be about work.  It could be about little league, something that happen in the grocery store or even something they read.  The only requirement was that it had a positive impact on them, which, we hoped, would help them be a better person, a better co-worker, better spouse or parent...  better in some way or any way. If it was good, they were encouraged to share "One Thing" for a better us.

Today, a person on my Help Desk Team shared a message that was sent to him.  I think it is profound.  So profound I encourage each of us to live life as a Dog would.

Hope this gives you as much of a lift today as it did me.

A Dog's Purpose ? 
(from a 6-year-old). 

Repent fand forgive freely

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. 

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. 

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. 

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. 

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. 
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.'' 

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live. 

He said,''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?'' The Six-year-old continued, 

''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'' 

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like: 

• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them, regardless of what happened yesterday. 

Be crazy once in a while

• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. 

• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy. 

• Take naps.

• Stretch before rising. 

• Run, romp, and play daily. 

• Thrive on attention and let people touch you. 

• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. 

Be Ha

• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. 

• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree. 

• When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body. 

• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
  
• Be loyal. 
  
• Never pretend to be something you're not. 
  
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
  
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently. 

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY! 

Figuring Out "What's Really Important"

For quite some time now I have come to a realization I have been blind to many things.  Blind meaning many important things just never got to the conscious part of my mind, or I suppressed them so well I didn't even realize they existed. I'm working hard to correct that personal flaw.  It's likely the underlying cause for much of the suffering I have put others and myself through over the years, honestly, quite unintentionally.

Most recently I have been following the story of a young man named Mitchell Dee Jones on a Facebook page maintained by his parents. Mitchell was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a catastrophic muscle wasting disease which results in progressive muscle deterioration and is fatal by late teens/early twenties, however, Mitchell passed away a month before his 11th birthday.

I can not fathom the strength his parents have.  My God is certainly looking over them and has sent them to this earth on an incredible mission I am barely getting an understanding and glimpse of.  God, please give me strength just thinking about this.

So what am I figuring out?  I'm figuring out, that although I think I may have done a lot of good in my life, I've also made horrible mistakes that have me in such torment and at a loss for what to do...  I dream of forgiveness, love, compassion and help.  I wish that years ago I had looked at or understood things differently.

Today, I am encouraging you to take a deep look at what is important...  if you can't figure it out, find a great mentor to help you.  Don't wait until your life has passed and you find yourself so deep there is no turning back...  no way to recover...  no one to help.

I hope this is not taken wrong, it is not meant selfishly...  I don't have the strength, faith or understanding to be like Mitchell's parents, but in many ways, I feel the same as they do.  I have lost my family, I have lost respect, I have lost the wonderful things I was given and let them slip away.

Cherish all those you have in your life....  it is too short not to.

Memories

A Facebook friend recently made a post which I plagiarized and posted for myself saying:

"Happy New Year my Facebook family... MEMORIES... leave a comment below about a memory we have shared together whether it was recent or long ago... I'd like to build a personal memory blog, help me fill it. Feel free to repost. Looking forward to reading and making more memories in the future"

I've been thinking about different folks and the things they may post which has certainly made me smile often...  wish I was better in many ways quite often...  and also thankful for the things I have learned along the way and been able to pass along.  I wish that post live on forever so people might run across it and add something special they remembered (you need a Facebook account, but you can find it here: http://bit.ly/RememberDan).  I so much reliving those times.

In this blog, I say that says "I'm just a guy trying to do good and to make a positive difference in someone's life...  hopefully at least my children's".  There is nothing that makes me feel better than when I see signs of that success.  In one of Jim Rohn's stories of improving and getting better over the years, he tells how one of his mentors told him, yes, it can happen to you.  When you walk into a room, people will point and whisper, look, there he is, it's him!  There have been a flicker of moments like that with me occasionally, but when I read Emery Gallant's post, I was floored.  I never knew how one small action had such an affect on him.

Emery wrote to me that he: "Was having a REAL bad day at work, and you popped out of nowhere and gave me a "You Rock!" coin...changed my day around instantly and I still keep that close!".  

It can not get much better than that.  I have always tried to treat not only my staff, but those that provide me services, a sense of appreciation.  Not for doing their job, but for doing their job in a way that make the customer or me feel good about what they've done.  Their attitude, their care, their professionalism. They create an experience that makes me want to come back to them...  I enjoy it.

It is stories like this that I try to do what I do...  Emery rocked my world with his post like never before.  I finally got a feeling of why giving more than you take is so important...  why taking care of the need of others is how your needs get taken care of...  Happy New Year to me and it is only day 1.

Thanks Emery.