Words, words, and more words

It's funny how words roll around in my head; differently than others may think of them.  

For me, lately I have considered how I have been applying famous quotes to my life. The interpretation of these quotes, although I don't remember exactly how they were used, are used and are heard revised and re-applied from time to time.

I had forgotten that both of the first two are from the same movie, "Jerry Maguire"; most people relate to these words because they have seen or heard of the movie.  Or, they have heard someone else use the term and have asked for the origin and the meaning. I like they way they sound, and think that they can be interpreted and applied different ways, for different people, in different situations.

They are part of a scene with the lines;

"Jerry Maguire: I love you. You... you complete me. And I just...
Dorothy: Shut up, just shut up. You had me at "hello". 

In a personal context, maybe I have never said the words "you complete me" to anyone else because they seem a tad formal and again, for those "who know" it would seem like I was trying to emulate a movie star and use a movie quote.  But have you ever felt that words such as these could be the only ones to describe the deep emotion you are feeling? Completion is all encompassing; "to make whole or perfect"; it doesn't get much better than that.  So, this quote really should be used when you want to make your special someone; friend, spouse, family member, dog? :0) feel that they are the best thing that has come into your life and that you feel truly overwhelmed and grateful for their existence. 

I'd been thinking  about the second quote, "you had me at hello" and my interpretation and application seemed to come as an "aha" moment one day.  We all have busy lives and some have large circles of family and friends, and some have smaller groups of these.  With our digital age becoming more prolific every day, phones are not used for communication as commonly as they used to be.  Skype is another funky invention that the Star Trek days of old had us hoping for the day when we, too, could talk [almost] face-to-face with others.  Simply put, I love to receive and make phone calls these days more so than I ever have before.  I get excited, giddy even, when talking on the phone because it's a realization that you on one end and I on this end, can fully appreciate the relationship we have; joke, vent, and share our lives in trust and acceptance.  If I were to say, "you had me at hello" i would interpret this as, "I'm so happy that you called....you've got my attention....you are so very important to me....; by saying hello, and being available to communicate with me.  As I am reminded of another quote just now, "you don't know what you've got til it's gone"; how true, how true... the appreciation of hearing a loved one's voice takes on new meaning after they are gone from this world.

Rounding off the movie quotes, from one of my fave movies, cause I'm a huge football fan, and I love comedy! If you haven't seen "The Replacements" with Gene Hackman and Keanu Reeves, rent it or request it from your library system; I think you'll appreciate the music and the comedy.  The quote (those underlined below) comes in the following scene;

"Woman Reporter: (Running to catch up with McGinty (Hackman) heading to the locker room for halftime) Coach, what will Washington need to get back into this game?
Jimmy McGinty: (pause) You've got to have heart.
Woman Reporter: Can you elaborate?
Jimmy McGinty: (striking his chest with his roll of papers) Miles and miles of heart.

Woman Reporter: (comes to a halt) So with a word, Coach McGinty says Washington will need to have heart to get back into this ball game."

To me, it is so simple, yet eloquent; when you really put your heart in to something, it shows, and is ultimately what is needed to get the job done right. Coupled with heart is passion and others will know when you have true passion for something. I find this so true of my own life; living with heart and passion at the forefront always makes me feel true to myself. 

Now I just have to write some illustrious words of my own, a book that will become a movie... and then become famous so others can quote me!

Kindred Spirits

A Kindred Spirit, by definition, is someone who shares beliefs, attitudes, and feelings with another [person]. For some people, Kindred Spirits can also be animals, such as is revealed in the book, Kindred Spirits: how the remarkable bond between humans and animals can change the way we live, by Dr. Allen M. Schoen, DVM. In this book, the word kindred is used to describe the similarities between humans and animals, their shared kinship, spiritual and emotional connections. ( I personally feel great kindred connections to all of the animals in my life).

I know that reading Anne of Green Gables inspired me to find Kindred Spirits in my own life. Anne Shirley made it sound so appealing and comforting to have one;

"A bosom friend--an intimate friend, you know--a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my inmost soul.  I've dreamed of meeting her all my life.  I never really supposed
I would, but so many of my loveliest dreams have come true all at once that perhaps this one will, too.  Do you think it's possible?"

I am privileged to have (and had) Kindred Spirits in my life. I believe the most powerful of these "spirits" was my grandmother, who was affectionately known as Nana. We had a deep and meaningful connection, and at a very young age, I knew we shared a mutual respect and understanding that did not exist between anyone else I knew. With her, I experienced compassion, kindness, love, caring and an easy sharing of the good, the bad, and the ugly, without the fear of judgment or expectation.

As an Aries in the astrological world, some of my closest friends are also fellow Ariens, and we share the closeness of Kindred Spirits in our relationships. I feel comfortable around them, connect on several levels, share core values, and know I can count on them when I need help, a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. We can joke freely and snort when we laugh, be seriously serious, share our thoughts and knowledge about exciting or boring topics, give opinions and advice, and be undying superheroes for each other when required.

Kindred Spirits may also be of the opposite sex, in romantic or non-romantic relationships; many people have claimed their spouses to be Kindred Spirits. A couple may meet that have both come from very bad previous relationship situations; a bond is then reached because they share an understanding of what the other has been through where they feel no one else truly understands.  Through this they become Kindred Spirits.

 

I am fortunate and very blessed to know Kindred Spirits that "get me" with my idiosyncrasies, quirks, and faults, and accept me just as I am. We are in sync with each other, trust each other implicitly, and are intensely committed to sharing our lives and the kindred spirit of love that we feel for each other. 

Act your age!?

I recently celebrated a birthday; and no; the number of years will not be divulged; I believe it is irrelevant anyways. 

I had a very blessed day.  Several family and friends wished me well on my day. The sun shone brilliantly, the temperature reached a glorious +10 and I laughed my way through most of the day. Typically, on any given day, and this one was no exception, I end up laughing at myself, because, truth be told, I refuse to "act my age" when around friends and family, because I have a youthful spark that reignites on a regular basis. 

I have a quirky sense of humor and people I have befriended and have worked with know to expect the unexpected from me. We have to celebrate life as much as possible, because time flies no matter how well planned you think your existence is. A familiar quote I have restated over the years, "If you want to make God laugh, make plans" is oh so true and not to be ignored. Having experienced the recent loss of a pet, knowing a devoted family man who lost his life to cancer in a matter of weeks, and sharing prayers for a newly married young woman who experienced a life altering vehicle accident, I daily gain a new appreciation of life on this earth. 

Don't get me wrong, in a professional capacity, I act my age and deal appropriately as the situation demands. But even in the workplace, I have adopted the "Fish" Philosophy made famous at Pike's Fish Marketplace in Seattle. Their employees follow 4 basic customer service philosophies that have been adopted by libraries and other workplace environments, service groups, etc.;

1. Have Fun; with your co-workers/staff and the customers; lighten up!

2. Be There; place your full attention on your customer and give them the service and respect they deserve

3. Make Their Day; make others appreciate their experience so much that they will want to return and will tell others about their great experience.

4. Choose Your Attitude; choose to be objective, be happy, to be present, to be friendly and gracious. 

You can follow these guiding principles no matter how old you are, and not just in the workplace either; the more I practice them, the younger I feel, and the more I want to share them with others to make any experience better.

So what do I do to act younger? I practice random acts of kindness whenever and wherever I can; people rarely expect these anymore (sadly).  I turn up the music and sing along (when no one else is around of course; my voice isn't that great), I dance in my living room for exercise and to reduce stress....and on my birthday, well let's just say I decided I didn't like the large piles of snow laying around since it is, after all, supposed to be spring.  To break up the piles into meltable (I know that's not a word, but it works here for me) portions, I merrily stomped and jumped on the snow, and klutz that I am, lost my balance and ended up doing a classic full frontal plant, face first, in the snow; sorry, the pictures also will remain unseen! I could have suffocated I was laughing so hard, and after laughing themselves silly at my crazy antics, I was hauled up and out by two family members. Hence, the laughing at my expense; but it helped to burn off some of the supper calories before digging into the birthday cheesecake.  It's always good to take an objective look at any situation.

I have told my family that I will never act my age, and to expect that from me. This year, I am living 13 all over again, since I will be seeing my favorite band from that time period in my life, the Doobie Brothers, in May. As well, watching the movie, "Secretariat" after experiencing the Triple Crown in my family living room, I may have the opportunity to get an autographed picture of jockey, Ron Turcotte on Secretariat, through an acquaintance.  I am also wild about flowers, and long to have fresh flowers around all the time; not only to see and appreciate their life and their color, but to pass by the arrangement several times during the day and breathe in their intoxicating aroma.  All these things bring such excitement and exuberance that I can hardly contain myself; what is that? Craziness? No, methinks it is youthfulness, and appreciation for life and its blessings and gifts.  I hope and pray that I continue to feel that way about many things in my lifetime.

And for when spring really comes--I'll be hauling out my purple bike, my birthday gift from last year, so I can go shopping and deck it out with reflectors, a bell, basket, and whatever else might catch my [young] eyes.

Saying goodbye to a pet

I have been an animal owner most of my life. 
Death is as basic as life; if you have life, you have to expect death at some point. I have lost count of all of the cats and dogs our family has said goodbye to over the years.  Various ailments and circumstances have caused the death of animals that we embraced as family members. Each and every animal had its own unique God-given personality that we would appreciate. As we had been given the responsibility for their lives, we had to be responsible, also, for the care and decisions that needed to be made on their behalf at any time in their lives. 


Our recent loss in January of our dog of almost 8 years has become one of the most difficult losses I have had to experience. Since we have been "empty nesters" for a few years, he and our cats have been our primary focus on the home front.  Our boy was an Alaskan Malamute/Australian Kelpie cross (as near as we could ascertain with my knowledge of dog breeds) and stole our hearts the moment we met him. He was giving, loyal, and very adaptable to our lives at any given point. His diagnoses in the end was lymphosarcoma; the cancer spread through his blood to every system in his body. He was healthy and quite able bodied until about the last 3 or 4 weeks of his life, and then we knew we couldn't let him suffer not knowing the extent of his pain or discomfort; we could only observe the diminished capacity of his regular activities. 

Each person experiences grief in their own way. For the first month, I thought I would never stop crying, and so many things would set me off without warning. After watching it a couple of weeks ago, I could relate to Diane Keaton in her very well acted role in "Something's Got to Give" where she has episodes of wailing while writing; mourning the loss of a new love in the character that Jack Nicholson plays. Of course, watching her, I had to hit "pause" on the remote and grab the box of Kleenex to let my eyes leak for a few minutes before continuing... It was at that time that I knew that recording my thoughts would help to heal my heart and record special memories of our dog that I wanted to treasure in the years to come. Journaling and writing has helped many people deal with their grief and loss.  C.S. Lewis, in "A Grief Observed" writes about the loss of his wife to cancer, and questions life, God, and many other things in his book.

Veterinary clinics are better equipped than they used to be in Grief Counseling, and staff members now take courses to help clients through the process. Cremation is available in most locations, as well as choices of urns or memorials to preserve the ashes and memory of a beloved pet.  It is always helpful to talk about your loss to friends and family who will empathize with your situation.  Many books are available dealing with pet loss and grief.  The Pet Therapy Society of Northern Alberta also has a special program available for those dealing with the loss of a pet. Visit http://www.pettherapysociety.com/programs/paws-to-remember/ to read their information about the group and the Pet Loss Support Line phone number to talk to someone about your loss.  And even though some thought I was a little "off", I decided to rent "Marley and Me" knowing full well that it had a sad ending. I own the book but didn't finish it last fall when I purchased it, so didn't know the details of the sadness.  However, knowing it was a true story, I applauded the director for the absolute realism of the euthanasia (sorry to give it away) of Marley at the end of the movie, knowing as an Animal Health Technologist and an animal owner that has experienced this process several times, you can't change the facts of how it works. But the process of how it works for the animal is that it is quick and painless, and we as owners can know that we have had to make the hardest decision (for us) to end the life of such a wondrous member of our family. But as they cannot talk, they can feel, and many have said, that animals know our hearts and know, in kindness, that we are acting on their behalf in the decisions that we make. Again, at this point in the movie, my own loss still very fresh, the tears flowed while the movie was paused for several moments. Not being a huge Owen Wilson fan over the years, I truly appreciated his dramatic acting in this movie and the depth of emotion that he showed for this crazy, destructive, but loyal family member in their dog Marley.  I was also happy to see the memorial scene where the children and the adults paid tribute to Marley each in their own way.


Hardest for me at first was going for walks alone, especially venturing out on the familiar routes and paths we took together.  Exercise can, however, be a welcome healer, and it allowed me to become very instrospective, and develop the spiritual, physical, and mental healing I needed. Now my walks have become a way to remember his uniqueness and moments such as reprimanding the deer and the moose that frequent the area where we live. There is the great realization of what a blessing he was in my life and in the life of my family and many, many people that he met in his very full life. He experienced city life, country treks and play dates with doggy friends, and so much more. He loved snow and would lay in it for hours. He loved to eat, and could have been a marketing agent for Dairy Queen ice cream cones...


It's good to know we are not alone in our experiences, and that animals have such a profound effect on humans in the vastness of this world. What wonderful companions they are! How they have changed, improved, saved, sustained our health and our lives. I am truly thankful for the life of our dog and the impact he has had on my life. He will not be forgotten.


"The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears" John Vance Cheney, US Poet

What does it mean?

The Stuff of Our Lives; what does that mean exactly? To me, it is the daily events of my life that are routine or can change quickly at any given moment. A dream, an interrupted sleep, a cat fight in the middle of the night; any or all of these things can change the course of what "stuff" I thought day break may bring. It's life and the quirkiness of life and all that goes in and around it, our families, our friends, our animals, our hopes, dreams, failures, aspirations....all bundled in a package, nowhere near "normal". Which by the way, should be taken out of the dictionary, because I don't know how I can ever use it or how you can define normal any more.

I aspire to write and along the way to share stories of the animals and people in my life; past, present and future; to record moments that others may find they relate to in their lives, a journey of words and ideas, of remembrance and appreciation for life.