Friday, April 19, 2013

Reminders

This past week several things have reminded me of what it is to be ALIVE...
Initially it was the breaking in of my new work shoes. Mother trucker those heel blisters are quick to form, strong in stature and determined to create pain. Talk about HELLO I'm alive my feet can vouch for that.
I lasted a day in them, now I'm back to my black asics sneakers that I've jogged 100k in and my big toes peak out the end. Damn they are comfy. My job entails a never ending variety of things, including and most often games of ping pong, badminton, walking, talking and chilling so surely running shoes are better equipped for such activities than Flats. Damn Flats.
Feeling alive #2 occurred yesterday afternoon when my across the road down one house neighbour decided to shout at me and my dog as he walked past our house. The amazing Jess does not appreciate pedestrians, unless she knows them as friends or they live directly next to us or across the road. Grumpy old man neighbour does not fit into either category and thus Jess feels it necessary to warn him away from our premises. As I walked toward Jess telling her to quiet down I heard him say something, something I felt was possibly unkind. "Pardon?" I say, giving him a polite but wary smile and placing my hand on my good Dog's head. "Well it's getting a bit beyond a joke" he says "Your dog is barking early in the morning and during the day, it's too much". I stare at him, a mixture of surprise, distaste and annoyance.
Many things run through my mind, both during the encounter and afterward. I'm thrilled to say I managed to speak none of it but hold the combined look for as long as it took until he carried on his merry way. I was left very unsettled, worried that our dog is a terrible nuisance and I am a terrible dog owner.
Can I just follow that sentence with the truth that is our dog has been to obedience class for over a year, she is walked every day & has been her whole life and my Mum has been staying with us the past 10 days and says Jess barks maybe twice a day & only at strangers passing by.
Moral of the story is she is a good dog and I am totally a terrific dog owner.
Yet I still felt this strange inner turmoil, this uncomfortableness that there should be such conflict between us and our neighbour, who we have actually never spoken to before.
Then Josh came home, I filled him in on the terrible goings on and he said.....
What a Dick.
Problem solved. What a Dick indeed. Sadly for said neighbour he is now officially off my friendly wave list and he is going to have to live with both that and my gorgeous barky dog.
Suffer in your jocks, Dick.
Finally this week has been a sad one, with people bombing the finish line of a marathon, earthquakes in the middle east, clients I have grown semi attached to leaving my workplace and a friends father passing away suddenly. It all reminds me of how fleeting this life is, how lucky I am to be safe and loved. Thank you for reading and may all of you, including grumpy old neighbour, love and be loved as much as we can for as long as we may.