International Women's Day

I learned today that March 8 is International Women's Day. As I searched the Internet I was deeply moved by all the images of women related to this day. Women celebrating, protesting, working, living.

Next to my concern for animals is my concern for women. Women have been used, abused, neglected, belittled and even killed.

One wonders why some men are so threatened by women. Why men raised by mothers can be so cold and controlling to women. Women have power that many men want to squash. I believe in the rights of women to live in peace, to raise their families in love and to be free from fear.

This will not happen in my lifetime and may not happen in the life at all. But I choose to be a witness of and for women everywhere. My soul yearns to be of help to the women of the world. I hope I can make a difference. I hope I am making a difference in my little corner of the world. I hope by being tolerant and having compassion I can somehow uplift the world. If we all do it then it has to make a difference.

Gnarled Oak Tree

I hiked around a snowy meadow with my dog this morning. It is surrounded by scrub oak trees. They speak to me.

When I was young my home had a hill behind it. I used to hike up the hill and hide in the oak trees. It was one of my favorite places to be.

An interesting thing about oak trees is how tenacious they are. The limbs can be blowned ove and they will still grow. I've seen trees where the trunk is even pushed over and the tree still grows.

The scrub oaks where I live now look dead in the wintertime. It's amazing when they come back to life in the spring.

Maybe I'm part oak tree.

The Body

I heard recently that our bodies remember everything we experience. That was a powerful thought for me.

Years ago I discovered that it is generally the sensitive souls that become addicts. These sensitive souls have a hard time coping with life. Whether it's drugs, alcohol, or food these are all ways of trying to escape from reality.

The thought that the body could say to the mind or spirit, "You have been able to hide or escape but I've had to stay here and feel it all!" Wow!

The idea is that you can only run away for so long. The body eventually gets out attention. I've not taken illegal drugs and I don't drink alcohol but I do eat for comfort. It is a family tradition that I tried to escape. My body is now paying the price for my neglect and it seems for the emotions I've refused to deal with.

There is hope in that I'm starting to face life but it is a painful process of peeling the onion. As I come to peace with something another issue surfaces. My daughter assures me there is a point where you can stay in peace more often than not. Life has always been a struggle for me but it is starting to make more sense. One of the things I've spent my life learning is the lack of control we have. I'm learning that peace comes when we turn control over to God, when we have the faith that he will either fix it or help us through it. I hold onto that hope.

Music from the Old Days

For some crazy reason an old children's song popped into my head today - Bullfrogs & Butterflies we've both been born again...

I remember I worked very hard to have a positive feeling in the house when my kids were growing up. I banished their Deaf Leapord and Guns & Roses to the shed. I imagine they are a little scarred from that. But we all shared James Taylor and Jim Croce

My all time favorite was Carole King and it's still in my top 10. Every song on that album reminds me of some time in my life.

Another all time favorite is Les Miserables. This music deeply affected me. The juxtaposition of Javier vs Val Jean was a life changing lesson in the law vs. the spirit. It helped me make sense for myself out of why I push against rules for rules sake. It was also a compelling lesson in how being rigid can stop our growth. Javier killed himself when he realized he had been wrong about Val Jean. He could not face the fact that the beliefs he had based his entire life on were flawed.

I love music with a message, particularly with a positive message. I'm an optimistic realist. I refuse to hide from the real world but I choose to believe that good will win in the end and that things work out.

The Dog Park

I love the dog park. It is so fun to watch the dogs at play. You see every type of dog; big & small, fast and slow, fat & skinny. Some dogs are dog focused not seeing people but only dogs to sniff, run and play with. Some dogs are people focused going from person to person asking for pets.

Some dogs are obsessive about chasing tennis balls and frisbees. The are soooo OCD about the item and can hardly think until the fall or frisbee is thrown.

The boxers bounce...really bounce. They can twist and leap in one motion. The little dogs act like they are the ones in charge. There are dogs that like to play rough and dogs that hide between their owners legs or under the bench.

I read a Dean Koontz book that described dog play. He explained that a dog with a stick will convince the other dogs that the stick is the best one of all and that they must have it. Then the chase begins. I see that form of play and notice the dogs are grinning.

If there is a sound of fighting most of the dogs run towards it. I've seen a few tussles and I've helped to break up a couple of real fights. I'm probably not afraid enough of dogs in a fight. The time I won't get involved is when both dogs are on their hind feet, face to face, biting and snarling. My goofy, mellow, blanket of a Golden Retriever gets into fights like this if some male dogs are not fixed. It's scary and he has come out with some bloody bites. Most of those dogs are bigger or tougher than he is. I tell him he's crazy.

But most of the time it's all fun and games at the dog park. I love the games of chase and the dogs in the play bow. That is when dogs lay down with their front feet but their rear end is up in the air. It's quite funny but it is the beginning of a good time.

My Rosy liked to chase cats and confront dogs. Her reaction to the dog would be whatever their reaction to her was. If they wanted to play so did she. If they wanted to fight she was up for that too. She pulled me off my feet more than once heading for another dog.

My new dog, George the Golden Retriever, loves to run and run. He is a senior dog so the running doesn't last too long but he surprises everyone with how much he can run. Since I got him from a pound I don't know anything about his history but I think he must have been left in someone's back yard. He was not beaten but he didn't know how to play. He didn't know how to play with dogs or people. He is a Retriever that doesn't retrieve. He just looked at dogs as if to say, "what are you and what am I supposed to do with you?" But thanks to my daughters dog, my sons dog and going to the dog park he is starting to come out of his shell. He still doesn't know how to play with people. He thinks they are just good for giving pets. But I can see some interaction between him and other dogs now. It's nice to see.

Anyway, if you need some unconditional love or just a smile head to the dog park.