Why do we often wait until have no choice to do something nice and enjoyable for ourselves? This weekend millions of people across the northeast and down the coast were forced to stay in their homes. It was not only too bad to be out and on the roads but in some cases there were official orders to stay inside. The powers that be didn't even want people out walking on the sidewalks and streets.
It's very possible that many people didn't like that situation at all. But I would think that many more took full advantage of the fact that they had nowhere to go and nowhere to be for several days. In the ultimate sense of togetherness, maternity wards are full to overflowing nine months after a storm like this. Many hospitals play along with sleepers for the infants inscribed with Blizzard Baby.
But that aspect of togetherness is not really the point I'm trying to make. I just wonder why we wait until we are forced to, to stop and do the things that we really enjoy doing.
I know everybody thinks their dog is the most special dog that ever lived. But obviously not every single dog can be the world's greatest dog. Only one dog can be The World's Greatest Dog. Our late great Maggie was in fact the world's greatest dog that ever lived.. My son and I had wanted a dog for quite some time. So the day finally arrived that we drove to the Chattanooga Humane Society to rescue a puppy. He was dead set that he didn't want "no girl dog." He wanted a male. That was ok with me. We both walked through and endured the most horrible stench of our lives to get to the cage to see these dogs. We stood and stared at two black balls of newborn fur all snuggled up together. The nice man separated them and said "This one's a male and this one's a female." With no hesitation my son said, "I want the girl dog." We took our black ball of fur home, bathed her several times and decided on Maggie. Over the next several months she grew into the most beautiful mixed shepherd that you can imagine. Being part Australian shepherd and part husky, she had one sky blue eye and the other was half brown and blue. And she had a beautiful black coat with perfectly uniform brown and white markings on her face and feet. Maggie had a sweet, mild temperament and was adored and loved by many.
Maggie was our treasured pet until she died with a brain tumor thirteen years later. She had filled our hearts and lives, as pets have a tendency to do, with love and laughter. I was with her when she breathed her last and I miss her to this day.
I had certainly spent a lot of time with our dog before this happened, but it ended up being one of the most special times with her of all. Somehow I had managed to lock myself out of the house. My wife was at work and my son was at school. I had locked my cellphone inside with the key. For over two hours I had nothing better to do than to lie in the grass with Maggie. She seemed to enjoy the experience as much as I did. While I scratched behind her neck and rubbed her coat, we both just watched the clouds go by. The more relaxed I got the more relaxed I became. It's amazing how different the neighborhood and the sky looked while lying on my back for that long. I was almost disappointed when my son got home from school.
I would like to tell you that I then did that on purpose no less than once a week until Maggie died. The truth is that I never did it again. There was just too much else I needed to do than to lie in my own front yard for several hours.
About twenty five years ago I read an article entitled "How to Stay in Bed All Day." The gist of the article was that nobody stays in bed all day unless they're sick. There's no enjoyment involved because they're sick and miserable. So the writer gave step-by-step instructions on the preparations necessary to successfully pull off such a day. I have never wanted to stay in bed all day, but I have certainly learned how to stay home all day. I spend many blissful days with nothing better to do than whatever I want to do. And nothing more. And there are even more days like today when I had one trip I needed to make. I made it. It's done and I'm back home. So am I retired? No, I'm not "fully retired" but I'm practicing as often as possible. Anything worthwhile requires effort and dedication.
As all the people across the country are digging out this week, I hope that they have learned some lessons about the things that really matter. I hope that they, like I, experienced how much they enjoy being in their own home with their own family. Unfortunately, like was the case with me and my dog, most of us have to be reminded again and again. No worries. The weather man's calling for snow.
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