Wednesday, September 24, 2008

So Proud

There are times when you feel so proud of a child's accomplishments. It may be getting good grades or doing well at a sport. I feel very lucky to have two wonderful smart and accomplished daughters who are really just starting to realize their potential. They're ahead of me because I was sort of a late bloomer but eventually life began to make sense and developing a sense of purpose. I think when we discover motherhood it alters the way we view life.It can be very rewarding and at the same time humbling. You don't know how it's all going to turn out. There are many challenges to raising children especially daughters. I never realized how my mother may have felt during some of my more "difficult" years.Now I think I have better insight and I wish I knew then what I know now. I definitely think I would have been nicer to her but I thank her belatedly for her patience. You can't really predict sometimes how they are going to turn out. I think my mother was very proud of me, and I have grown very proud of my own daughters for different reasons. One daughter seemed a bit more easy to raise and reason with where the other one was very assertive about her own individuality and everything was a "test". Now that they are both young adult women I can step back into the role of advisor and only try to give my opinion when asked. I'm still working on that one so they tell me.
What influenced me to write this present commentary has to do with my youngest daughter and two recent experiences she had. She had a few rough weeks trying to reset her path after a bad work experience. When she was able to be placed in a temp job she did not know how it would turn out. On her first day of work she was called upon to render emergency medical assistance to a man suddenly stricken with cardiac arrest. She remained calm and confident of her EMT training and helped save this man's life. She said she did not feel she needed anyone's praise because to her it just seemed like the natural thing to do. Well, it was a very emotional experience for her and we were so very proud of her. Then this other thing happened. Her boss was also stricken by a heart attack at work this week and again she was placed in the role of assisting a victim to help save his life.This shook her up a bit because this time she actually knew the person she was doing CPR on and shocking him with the paddles.She does not see herself as a hero but co-workers have said she is. She started this temp job and who knew that her presence would be important at saving two people's lives. I'm not sure she realizes yet that she is not only a hero to those two people who needed her assistance but also a hero to her mother (and father). I don't think I will ever see her the same way as I have maybe in the past as my difficult child to raise. She has grown up so much and I think she is beginning to understand how precious life is . I think she may have a different way of looking at life now. Life can be humbling and rewarding.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Canine Worship

The rule about not discussing politics and religion is no longer applicable. Debating and discussing leads to more open ways of looking at things. Right? There are so many paths to the belief in a higher being (thank-you AA) anything goes these days. So why not worship our pets.
There are many childless couples who dote on their dog or cat and they are often treated like privileged "beings". They get only the best and are showered with attention. Dogs in particular seem to have this uncanny ability to read our moods. When someone is sad or upset our pet will often come over to where we are sitting and attempt to console us. Many a time when I had a bad day and would come home in a not so great mood my dog would trot on over wag her tail and rest her chin on my knee. She would gaze at me soulfully with her liquid brown eyes .Actually she was a Husky with "watcheye",one blue and one brown.....sort of spooky. She would patiently wait for me to pet her and not give up till I did. Somehow that action of petting her soft fur and her wiggling with delight made everything in the world seem all right again. In a way it tended to bring about calmness and a sense of being in the moment forgetting what it was that made me sad or upset in the first place. Dogs only want our affection and attention,they bring out the best in us. When I have not felt well my dog would sense that and stay by my side. She would curl up and sit on my foot. Not at my feet,on my feet. So why do I wax on so about my dog? You see I have this rather novel theory and probably either crazy or blasfamos that maybe dogs were put on this earth for a reason. They are very loyal and loving and they do bring out the best in us. Our love of a dog has a spiritual component. After all, we know what dog is spelled backwards don't we? Yeah , so call me weird and crazy. All I know is that when my dog and I were connecting with eachother there was nothing else in my mind and the world felt a lot less scary. What else could it be.......


Sunday, September 7, 2008

Top Ten Pet Peeves About Driving

1. Right now the price of gas makes people consider first if the trip is necessary.
2. People who speed up and then slow down. (They speed up when you try to pass them)
3. Drivers who tailgate.Do they know they are doing it or they just anal orifices?
4. People who park too close to your car in the parking lot.Either they have given you a door job or you might give them one.
5. Drivers who are distracted by something along the side of the road.
6.Old people who shouldn't be driving anymore. We'll all be there someday and our relatives will either have to hide the keys or disable the car.
7. Teen age males racing around with loud souped up engines with the stereo blaring. Hey,you are not that cool, really
8. People who talk on their cell phones. I tend to snigger when they get pulled over by the cops. (It's against the law in N.Y.)
9. People who are late for work and then drive like maniacs and try to pass everyone.
10. Drivers who wait too long after the traffic light has turned green. People who have to beep at you to get going.