Talking Dog for Sale
Tara Brach told this joke in her podcast:
A guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: ‘Talking Dog For Sale ‘ He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.
The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.
‘You talk?’ he asks.
‘Yep,’ the Lab replies.
After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says
‘So, what’s your story?’
The Lab looks up and says, ‘Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA.
In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.’
‘I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn’t getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.’
‘I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I’m just retired.’
The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.
‘Ten dollars,’ the guy says.
‘Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?’
‘Because he’s a liar. He never did any of that shit.
via Talking Dog for Sale – Forno Bravo Forum: The Wood-Fired Oven Community.
How To Be A Supportive Partner (And What You Gain As A Result)
Shelly Bullard writes:
Sometimes we fail to support our partners in becoming the best versions of the of themselves because we’re scared of what that means for us. What if he wants something I don’t want? What if her desire takes her away from me?
We fear if he learns to fly, he might fly away. So we hold our partners back, sometimes without even knowing it. This strategy always backfires – it ends up holding our relationships back, as well.
But there’s a way to feel safe enough to support your partner to fly, and why doing so will take your relationship to new heights of love.
Get the rest of the article here: How To Be A Supportive Partner (And What You Gain As A Result)
I love Shelly’s writing — always powerful and prescient! You can find more of her stuff here…
Related articles
- Top 7 signs your love relationship is struggling (insideawarenessblog.wordpress.com)
- Create The Relationship You Deserve (howdidwegettohere.wordpress.com)
- Healing Broken Trust in Your Relationship (peopleliferelationship.wordpress.com)
- Fixing a Broken Relationship (thesbworld.wordpress.com)
You’re probably a dog…
“Yes, we have these great ideals about how we’ve supposed to be […] we don’t have to pretend that our irritablity is not there or compare it unfavorably with our ideal version of ourselves. We could simply take a breath and say, “This is how I am — this is anger, this is fear, this is irritation.” […] In that regard I would like to read to you my new favorite little piece: “If you can sit quietly after difficult news, if in financial downturns you remain perfectly calm, if you can see your neighbors travel to fantastic places without a twinge of jealousy, if you can happily eat whatever is put on your plate and fall asleep after a day of running around without a drink or a pill, if you can always find contentment just where you are, you are probably a dog.”
Put your past behind you…
The other day, I saw a Model T in my rearview mirror. I thought it was a good reminder to put the past behind…
Self compassion and negative emotions…
Lately, I have been finding wisdom and refuge in Kristen Neff’s book Self-compassion [which I highly recommend!]. Here is a recent passage that resonated with me…
Out of the Cave
When you have been
at war with yourself
for so many years that
you have forgotten why,
when you have been driving
for hours and only
gradually begin to realize
that you have lost the way,
when you have cut
hastily into the fabric,
when you have signed
papers in distraction,
when it has been centuries
since you watched the sun set
or the rain fall, and the clouds,
drifting overhead, pass as flat
as anything on a postcard;
when, in the midst of these
everyday nightmares, you
understand that you could
wake up,
you could turn
and go back
to the last thing you
remember doing
with your whole heart:
that passionate kiss,
the brilliant drop of love
rolling along the tongue of a green leaf,
then you wake,
you stumble from your cave,
blinking in the sun,
naming every shadow
as it slips.
via From Out the Cave by Joyce Sutphen | The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor.
If this poem resonates with you, you might enjoy this meditation from Tara Brach; Stepping out of the cave…
I’m no @popsdigital but even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again. A chilly New Year’s Eve walk along the breakwater yielded this gem featuring the Algoma lighthouse…
Don’t believe what you hear about black cats
The most beautiful animal I ever owned [actually, she owned me!] was a black cat named Boo; far from bringing bad luck, they bring love and affection for those that love them. Now that I know the shelter has a hard time finding homes for them, after Halloween I’m going to adopt some more!
Full story at: Don’t believe what you hear about black cats.
Dreams
Melody Beattie writes:
“I want a new home. a great job. and lots of money” one man said.
“What practical steps are you taking to help that happen?” I asked.
“I’m not very good at practical steps,” he said. “But I’m an expert at dreams.”
It’s important to fantasize. but if you want your fantasies to materialize. you have to take practical steps. Turn dreams into achievable written goals.
It takes courage to go for what we want. Giving something our all. then failing, is a risk. Anyone I know who has accomplished anything of value has failed on the road to success.
Challenge: The hardest thing about going for our goals, hopes, and dreams can be fighting off that part of us that says, “What’s the use?” Ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things when they make a choice to do something, then surrender to God’s Will.” via October 25.
Related articles
- Do something you love this weekend… (toddlohenry.com)
- Practice Awareness of God (toddlohenry.com)
- Let Enlightenment Come (toddlohenry.com)
- Self approval (toddlohenry.com)
- Discover what works for YOU (toddlohenry.com)
- Coping with Families (toddlohenry.com)
- Payoffs from Destructive Relationships (toddlohenry.com)
- Conflict and Detachment (toddlohenry.com)
- Take responsibility for your life and choices (toddlohenry.com)
E.B. White writing in his boat shed overlooking Allen Cove…
Now this looks like the kind of place where I could finish my epic book. I would swap out the typewriter for my trusty Chromebook…
via E.B. White writing in his boat shed overlooking Allen Cove,….
The lesson may be a test
Sometimes, problems and challenges come to move us to the next place in our lives. Sometimes, they come to challenge and reinforce what we already know and believe.
Maybe that problem in your life has come along to teach you something new.
Maybe it’s an opportunity to remember and practice what you already know to be true.
Push against the problem. Push your ideals and beliefs against what’s going on. Examine what you think, believe, and feel. Stay open to change. But remember that, sometimes, it’s not about changing what you believe. It’s an opportunity for you to validate yourself and your beliefs.
We’re not always learning something new. Sometimes, the lesson is to remember and trust what we already know.
God, help me to be open to change, help me also to stand fast by my beliefs when they are right.” via Just For Today Meditations » Blog.
See it Simple
Melody Beattie writes:
“It’s too much,” I said to my instructor. “Jumping out of a plane is too much for my mind to comprehend.”
“Then keep it simple,” he said. “Break it down into parts. You have the ride up, where you practice relaxing, your exit, your free-fall time; then you deploy your parachute. Then you decide if it’s working or if you need to go to plan B. Next set up your landing pattern. When you get near the ground, pull your strings and flare.”
I could handle the steps, but the big picture of jumping out of an airplane was too much to envision. But exiting, falling stable, pulling, and flaring were simple parts that felt manageable. My mind could comprehend these simple tasks.
You may never make a skydive. Or maybe you will. But there’s a lot of things in life that seem like too much if we try to see them all as one big thing. I never thought I could stay sober and drug-free for twenty-seven years. But with God’s help and the help of the program, I believed I could refrain from using drugs and alcohol for twenty-four hours. Then the next day, I got up and believed the same thing again.
There have been times I didn’t think I could start my life over. But I could get up in the morning and do the things I thought best for that day.
Are you facing something now in your life that feels too overwhelming? Then simplify it. Break it down into manageable parts until you can see how simple it is.
God, if I’m complicating a task or making it too big and unmanageable in my mind, help me to simplify what I see.” via September 5: See it Simple.
P-51
This is one of my favorite pictures of one of my favorite aircraft; a P-51 Mustang @ EAA AirVenture 2012…
Is He Worth It? Six Questions to Ask When Sacrificing in Relationships
What about ‘is she worth it?’ Despite the slant, I think this is worth a read if you’re asking yourself this question:
We must all face situations in our close relationships that require us to make a sacrifice. Perhaps, your spouse receives a big promotion, and it requires that you quit your job and move across the country. Or your boyfriend wants you to miss an important work event to attend his family reunion. Maybe you and your wife get jobs in different cities and must decide who has to make the long commute. For me, it was deciding whether to apply to graduate programs in areas that weren’t near where my husband (then boyfriend) was working. When faced with these situations, what information do we use to decide whether or not to make the sacrifice? In addition to consulting the pros and cons list, there are also important questions we should be asking ourselves. Below, I suggest six questions that might help when deciding whether or not making a sacrifice is right for you.” Get the answer here: Is He Worth It? Six Questions to Ask When Sacrificing in Relationships | Psychology Today.
Bring back the 40 hour work week
40 hours? That would be like a vacation… :-D
Source: OnlineMBA.com
A Handy Guide To What “Meow” Means
Spoiler: Your cat is kind of a jerk.
If you’re not getting daily life advice from Surviving The World, you should be. via A Handy Guide To What “Meow” Means.
Bright, shiny objects! 
You must be logged in to post a comment.