Earlier this week, I spent several hours talking with a man who had come to a place of deciding that maybe life is no longer worth living. As I spoke with him, I was struck by a sad realization. This man talked with great pleasure and pride of his many accomplishments in life. He spoke of being intelligent. He spoke of achieving greatness. He spoke of being sought after and liked. And yet, in the end, he spoke of wanting to die. In all of his achievements, he had not found peace. He had not found life. He had not found healing.
Then, later in the same day, I listened as an acquaintance of mine spoke of his great accomplishments. He spoke of his rank in school as a child. He spoke of his great achievements in school. He spoke of the places he's been and the things he's done. He spoke of his wealth. And yet, I know one important fact about this individual. While he has great knowledge, he lacks wisdom. He lacks the ability to apply the things he knows in ways that can help bring fulfillment to his life and the lives of those around him. This man knows the Lord, yet I was struck by how eerily similar he sounded to the first man with whom I had spoken.
Recently, I experienced a situation where some individuals in a position of power and authority made accusations against a young man that proved false. They focused all of their time and energy on these accusations. In the meantime, they ignored this man's pain, which seemed so obvious to me. Many people were wounded and this man continues to struggle with great pain that has not been addressed. The men who made the accusations are just now beginning to repent, but I can't help but wonder if repentance has come too late to change this man's fate.
Almost 2 years ago now, I met a young man who told me he that he hated himself. He would not identify why, telling me that it was too shameful. He talked around the subject for many weeks and always landed at the conclusion that he would be judged and rejected if people knew what he had done. He killed himself rather than bring his sins and struggles into the light for others to see.
It's often been said that pride is the most destructive of all sins. As I spoke with that distraught man the other day, it struck me that the truth of this lies in a single fact. Pride keeps us from self discovery, exploration, growth, depth, healing and acceptance of our need for a Savior. Pride prevents repentance. Pride prevents community and erodes relationships. Pride prevents the dark night of the soul when you realize that what you are and what you were called to be are vastly different. Pride keeps you from recognizing that you are fallen, broken, and need restoration. The other interesting thing I noticed about pride the other day is that pride is rooted in insecurity. I was struck by the reality that the man who spouted his achievements wanted to kill himself. The man who rattled off his accomplishments drastically misses the mark on wisdom. The men in authority focused on one false accusation because of how it would make them look if the accusation proved accurate. The young man who killed himself rather than confess did so to avoid being seen and known.
It angers me that our sinful nature prevents us from seeing the deadly effects of pride in our lives. We seek self sufficiency. We seek to save face. We seek to make much of ourselves. And all the while, we have a Savior who will gladly be our justifier, our restorer, our advocate, our redeemer. Alas, to make room for Him, we must release the pride. This is far better but our pride keeps us from believing it. And this oxymoron is Satan's great joy. It saddens me.
I long for the day when pride will no longer have any power. In the mean time, I will continue to place my hope in the One that has conquered all and plead with Him to break my pride and bring me near to Himself.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Miracles
I have always enjoyed the times in my life when I have had the opportunity to witness miracles. Whether big or small, I never get used to experiencing miracles in this life. I know that many people think miracles don't happen, but my life experiences have shown me that they do!
Every day, it seems, I experience the small miracles of seeing people's lives change in drastic and beautiful ways. As a counselor, I think that every time someone has an "AHA!" moment when they finally see things rightly for the first time, every time someone experiences unconditional acceptance and this changes life, and every time someone experiences healing from years of pain and hurt, this is a miracle.
I have experienced these miracles in my own life as well. I have been able to experience great healing and grace in relationships and I believe that without God's hand, this healing would not be possible.
Of course, many people identify birth as a miracle. I so enjoy seeing and holding newborns because it shows me the power of God. The tiny hands, feet, mouth, and all the moving parts made perfectly are truly remarkable.
But, there have been 2 times in my life that I have experienced a life altering miracle. It's so interesting to me that the big "the laws of nature don't account for this" kind of miracles can be so unnerving. And yet, at least in my life, this is my experience.
The first big miracle I experienced occurred when I was 22. I was in a horrible car accident on the highway one night. Me and my 4 passengers stood in the left lane of the highway for 30 minutes at the bottom of a hill at 2 AM waiting for rescue workers to help us. When the rescue workers came, they told us that they took so long because no one survives an accident at that particular location. They asked us multiple times if we were the ones in the accident because they could not believe that we were all alive and uninjured. I walked away praising God and yet also experiencing symptoms of PTSD. Why? Because what happened that night did not fit my beliefs about life or God. I did not know how to process and integrate this event and it took some hard work for me to be able to see God rightly as a God who stops time, bends the laws of nature, consumes a bush with fire without it being burned up, feeds His people for years with manna in the wilderness, and raises the dead.
I, like many others, had always thought too little of God, saying that while He might have done those things in the past, surely He would not, dare I say could not, do those things in the present day. I don't know about you, but I know that I have always had a hard time believing beyond any doubts that the things I read in the Scriptures really, truly happened!
Last week, I had the opportunity to experience once again the power, greatness, and Majesty of my God. One of my closest friends learned about a month ago that her husband had a large brain tumor in his head. They scheduled surgery which got canceled twice and then changed doctors and had another MRI done. Please note that there were 3 MRIs done initially and all 3 showed the tumor. The MRI done a week ago showed NO TUMOR, only a 1 centimeter cyst where the tumor once existed! Many, many people had been praying for this answer for several weeks and yet, seeing God's power still shocks me!
Here's the thing I love most about God. Even when He performs miracles, He shows His grace and mercy for His children. It's as if He knew that the questions that would arise from having 3 MRIs show a tumor and 1 show no tumor would be, "Is this the right MRI?" I LOVE that He left a 1 centimeter cyst in my friend's brain to be gracious unto His children who are prone to doubt.
I am glad to say that I worship this God.
Every day, it seems, I experience the small miracles of seeing people's lives change in drastic and beautiful ways. As a counselor, I think that every time someone has an "AHA!" moment when they finally see things rightly for the first time, every time someone experiences unconditional acceptance and this changes life, and every time someone experiences healing from years of pain and hurt, this is a miracle.
I have experienced these miracles in my own life as well. I have been able to experience great healing and grace in relationships and I believe that without God's hand, this healing would not be possible.
Of course, many people identify birth as a miracle. I so enjoy seeing and holding newborns because it shows me the power of God. The tiny hands, feet, mouth, and all the moving parts made perfectly are truly remarkable.
But, there have been 2 times in my life that I have experienced a life altering miracle. It's so interesting to me that the big "the laws of nature don't account for this" kind of miracles can be so unnerving. And yet, at least in my life, this is my experience.
The first big miracle I experienced occurred when I was 22. I was in a horrible car accident on the highway one night. Me and my 4 passengers stood in the left lane of the highway for 30 minutes at the bottom of a hill at 2 AM waiting for rescue workers to help us. When the rescue workers came, they told us that they took so long because no one survives an accident at that particular location. They asked us multiple times if we were the ones in the accident because they could not believe that we were all alive and uninjured. I walked away praising God and yet also experiencing symptoms of PTSD. Why? Because what happened that night did not fit my beliefs about life or God. I did not know how to process and integrate this event and it took some hard work for me to be able to see God rightly as a God who stops time, bends the laws of nature, consumes a bush with fire without it being burned up, feeds His people for years with manna in the wilderness, and raises the dead.
I, like many others, had always thought too little of God, saying that while He might have done those things in the past, surely He would not, dare I say could not, do those things in the present day. I don't know about you, but I know that I have always had a hard time believing beyond any doubts that the things I read in the Scriptures really, truly happened!
Last week, I had the opportunity to experience once again the power, greatness, and Majesty of my God. One of my closest friends learned about a month ago that her husband had a large brain tumor in his head. They scheduled surgery which got canceled twice and then changed doctors and had another MRI done. Please note that there were 3 MRIs done initially and all 3 showed the tumor. The MRI done a week ago showed NO TUMOR, only a 1 centimeter cyst where the tumor once existed! Many, many people had been praying for this answer for several weeks and yet, seeing God's power still shocks me!
Here's the thing I love most about God. Even when He performs miracles, He shows His grace and mercy for His children. It's as if He knew that the questions that would arise from having 3 MRIs show a tumor and 1 show no tumor would be, "Is this the right MRI?" I LOVE that He left a 1 centimeter cyst in my friend's brain to be gracious unto His children who are prone to doubt.
I am glad to say that I worship this God.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Bayley's Birthday Present
When we got Bayley, we had no way to know how old she was. The vet told us she was probably between 9 months and 1 year old when we adopted her in April 2010.
In July 2010, we experienced a week of AWFUL behavior out of our dog including vigorously chasing flies, urinating EVERYWHERE, and chewing on all things hers and otherwise. Eventually, we discovered that our sweet puppy was in heat. Aha! That explained everything. So, we set up an appt. to get her spayed and determined that at this time, she must have been about a year. We decided to go by the rule that a puppy's second heat occurs at about 1 year of age. So, my husband and I (or mostly just I) decided to create Bayley's birthday (for celebration purposes) on July 24, which is the day that we had Bayley spayed.
So, if we were to do that whole, "One year ago today" thing, last year a week ago, Bayley was chewing on everything in the house, chasing bugs religiously, and urinating everywhere. She had a really great reason for it though, since she was in heat.
This year, Bayley decided to remind us of what that week was like. Over the past week, Bayley has chewed up 2 large pieces of plastic, several Kleenox, multiple pieces of paper, and has struggled greatly in the obedience department. I assumed she just needed some additional exercise since we have been so busy recently that we have not had a chance to go to the dog park with her. So, we have began playing with her duck outside with her more and have tried to be more diligent with walking her. Even so, Bayley has been full of energy and disobedience!
An aside, I have become more and more convinced that there is nothing that releases Bayley's energy like the dog park. I think the dog park gives her such a great chance to socialize with people and dogs alike as well as track around and so, if she has gone for more than a week without going to the dog park, we see some difficulties in obedience start to emerge.
So, on Sunday evening, in celebration of Bayley's birthday, my husband and I (or mostly just I) sang Bayley Happy Birthday and gave her a yummy dehydrated chicken tender. We (or I) then gave her a new stuffed animal, a rabbit, and ran around the house playing for about 15 minutes. Now, if I have never mentioned this before, Bayley LOVES her stuffed animals. However, once she senses any weakness in them, she kills them. Apparently, and much to my dismay, the rabbit must have been quite weak because within 15 minutes of receiving the toy, she disemboweled it. Sad day for the rabbit.
Then, we went to bed. Bayley came and slept in the bed with us as she usually does. I had to go on a crisis call and came home at 5 AM. I climbed into the bed so thankful to finally be able to get into my bed and sleep for at least a few hours before heading to work. And, upon climbing into bed, I immediately jumped out of bed again! The bed was soaked.
Yep, you guessed it. Bayley's birthday present to her mom and dad was to pee in the bed. Guess she wanted to remind us of her first birthday.
If this is how Bayley celebrates birthdays, maybe we'll stick to celebrating adoption day instead.
In July 2010, we experienced a week of AWFUL behavior out of our dog including vigorously chasing flies, urinating EVERYWHERE, and chewing on all things hers and otherwise. Eventually, we discovered that our sweet puppy was in heat. Aha! That explained everything. So, we set up an appt. to get her spayed and determined that at this time, she must have been about a year. We decided to go by the rule that a puppy's second heat occurs at about 1 year of age. So, my husband and I (or mostly just I) decided to create Bayley's birthday (for celebration purposes) on July 24, which is the day that we had Bayley spayed.
So, if we were to do that whole, "One year ago today" thing, last year a week ago, Bayley was chewing on everything in the house, chasing bugs religiously, and urinating everywhere. She had a really great reason for it though, since she was in heat.
This year, Bayley decided to remind us of what that week was like. Over the past week, Bayley has chewed up 2 large pieces of plastic, several Kleenox, multiple pieces of paper, and has struggled greatly in the obedience department. I assumed she just needed some additional exercise since we have been so busy recently that we have not had a chance to go to the dog park with her. So, we have began playing with her duck outside with her more and have tried to be more diligent with walking her. Even so, Bayley has been full of energy and disobedience!
An aside, I have become more and more convinced that there is nothing that releases Bayley's energy like the dog park. I think the dog park gives her such a great chance to socialize with people and dogs alike as well as track around and so, if she has gone for more than a week without going to the dog park, we see some difficulties in obedience start to emerge.
So, on Sunday evening, in celebration of Bayley's birthday, my husband and I (or mostly just I) sang Bayley Happy Birthday and gave her a yummy dehydrated chicken tender. We (or I) then gave her a new stuffed animal, a rabbit, and ran around the house playing for about 15 minutes. Now, if I have never mentioned this before, Bayley LOVES her stuffed animals. However, once she senses any weakness in them, she kills them. Apparently, and much to my dismay, the rabbit must have been quite weak because within 15 minutes of receiving the toy, she disemboweled it. Sad day for the rabbit.
Then, we went to bed. Bayley came and slept in the bed with us as she usually does. I had to go on a crisis call and came home at 5 AM. I climbed into the bed so thankful to finally be able to get into my bed and sleep for at least a few hours before heading to work. And, upon climbing into bed, I immediately jumped out of bed again! The bed was soaked.
Yep, you guessed it. Bayley's birthday present to her mom and dad was to pee in the bed. Guess she wanted to remind us of her first birthday.
If this is how Bayley celebrates birthdays, maybe we'll stick to celebrating adoption day instead.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Bayley's Dinner Guests
Bayley LOVES to entertain. Any time we have visitors at the house, she gets so excited that someone has come to visit her. Bayley cheerfully greets our visitors with lots of jumping, running, and general mayhem (that is, once we let her loose). So, you can imagine how great Bayley's delight when we had several guests over for dinner last week.
My coworkers and I enjoy each other's company enough that sometimes, we get together outside of work. Recently, we decided that we would have a monthly dinner for the group of us that have become good friends. It's my family, my sweet German coworker and her family, my spunky Vietnamese coworker and her family, and my always supportive, now works in Lewisville, coworker and her boyfriend. My sweet German coworker has been hounding me for months to make her homemade pasta, so when we decided to do a monthly dinner, I quickly volunteered my house for the first of the gatherings.
I planned, I prepared, I cleaned, I shopped, and I cooked. In short, I got excited! I like company just as much as Bayley, I think! On the day of the big event, I spent all day making pasta. I made homemade meatballs, tomato sauce, pesto sauce, and lots of noodles, both gluten free and regular. One thing you have to understand about homemade pasta is that it is a lot of preparation work. First, you make the dough and then you let it sit for a few hours. After this, you roll the dough into long strips and finally you cut the dough into the noodles. Bayley loves when I make pasta from scratch because invariably, some scrap noodles fall on the floor and she takes great delight in this.
So, as I was rolling the noodles on the day in question, Bayley was laying at attention in the dining room, maybe 10 feet from my work space. I had rolled several strips of pasta and they were lying out on the counter waiting for the next step. I saw Bayley eying the pasta quite surreptitiously but was not at all prepared for what happened next. Of the several pieces laid out on the counter, one piece was hanging just a few inches over the edge of the counter. When rolling pasta, one needs both hands: one to hold the pasta to feed it through the roller and one to hold the pasta as it comes out the other side. I think my clever pouch observed this fact and, taking advantage of timing,made her move. All of a sudden, while I was mid roll through a piece of pasta, Bayley darts over, quick as lightening, jumps up to the counter, grabs the piece of pasta hanging over the edge of the counter, and carries it off to the dining room with her. Shocked and amazed, I dropped my pasta, ran after her and grabbed the kidnapped piece away from Bayley. She looked up at me innocently but responded immediately when I told her, "Go lay down." Bayley dejected went to lay in her crate where I made her stay for the next several minutes.
After this adventure, I became nervous about Bayley's behavior once guests began to arrive. Hoping she would behave herself, I continued to prepare for dinner. And then, the time came. All my guests began to come to the door. Among the guests were my spunky Vietnamese coworker's 2 year old and my sweet German coworker's 8 month old. Of these two guests I was particularly nervous due to the uncertainty about my dog's behavior.
Dinner progressed wonderfully, however. Bayley loved her guests, especially the 2 year old and 8 month old. The two year old chased Bayley through the house all night. And Bayley chased the 8 month old around the floor. The kids also truly enjoyed Bayley's toys, most notably her Kong (much to their parents' chagrin). Bayley enjoyed sniffing the kid's toys but did not touch. Overall, I was quite proud of my dog! She even handled it like a champ when we had to lock her crate and put up her water dish because the 8 month old wanted to play in both of them.
My guests went home, I praised my dog, and we all went to bed. The next day, I was going about my normal daily tasks when Bayley came into the room, playfully happy, and dropped at my feet a new toy. Upon inspection, I realized it was a small, red triangle that belongs to one of the 8 month old's toys. I praised Bayley for bringing me the toy and put it away to give to my sweet German coworker the next day.
Upon arriving at work the next day, I proudly present to my sweet German coworker the found triangle and make her guess where I found it. She says, "In her water bowl? In her crate? In her toy box?" I tell her, "In her mouth! She brought it to me!" My coworker's reply? "It was really nice of her to bring it to you because we looked all over the house for it before we left and couldn't find it. I think she hid it."
Bayley does have a habit of hiding her toys around the house, so I just had to laugh.
That Bayley, she sure is sneaky.
My coworkers and I enjoy each other's company enough that sometimes, we get together outside of work. Recently, we decided that we would have a monthly dinner for the group of us that have become good friends. It's my family, my sweet German coworker and her family, my spunky Vietnamese coworker and her family, and my always supportive, now works in Lewisville, coworker and her boyfriend. My sweet German coworker has been hounding me for months to make her homemade pasta, so when we decided to do a monthly dinner, I quickly volunteered my house for the first of the gatherings.
I planned, I prepared, I cleaned, I shopped, and I cooked. In short, I got excited! I like company just as much as Bayley, I think! On the day of the big event, I spent all day making pasta. I made homemade meatballs, tomato sauce, pesto sauce, and lots of noodles, both gluten free and regular. One thing you have to understand about homemade pasta is that it is a lot of preparation work. First, you make the dough and then you let it sit for a few hours. After this, you roll the dough into long strips and finally you cut the dough into the noodles. Bayley loves when I make pasta from scratch because invariably, some scrap noodles fall on the floor and she takes great delight in this.
So, as I was rolling the noodles on the day in question, Bayley was laying at attention in the dining room, maybe 10 feet from my work space. I had rolled several strips of pasta and they were lying out on the counter waiting for the next step. I saw Bayley eying the pasta quite surreptitiously but was not at all prepared for what happened next. Of the several pieces laid out on the counter, one piece was hanging just a few inches over the edge of the counter. When rolling pasta, one needs both hands: one to hold the pasta to feed it through the roller and one to hold the pasta as it comes out the other side. I think my clever pouch observed this fact and, taking advantage of timing,made her move. All of a sudden, while I was mid roll through a piece of pasta, Bayley darts over, quick as lightening, jumps up to the counter, grabs the piece of pasta hanging over the edge of the counter, and carries it off to the dining room with her. Shocked and amazed, I dropped my pasta, ran after her and grabbed the kidnapped piece away from Bayley. She looked up at me innocently but responded immediately when I told her, "Go lay down." Bayley dejected went to lay in her crate where I made her stay for the next several minutes.
After this adventure, I became nervous about Bayley's behavior once guests began to arrive. Hoping she would behave herself, I continued to prepare for dinner. And then, the time came. All my guests began to come to the door. Among the guests were my spunky Vietnamese coworker's 2 year old and my sweet German coworker's 8 month old. Of these two guests I was particularly nervous due to the uncertainty about my dog's behavior.
Dinner progressed wonderfully, however. Bayley loved her guests, especially the 2 year old and 8 month old. The two year old chased Bayley through the house all night. And Bayley chased the 8 month old around the floor. The kids also truly enjoyed Bayley's toys, most notably her Kong (much to their parents' chagrin). Bayley enjoyed sniffing the kid's toys but did not touch. Overall, I was quite proud of my dog! She even handled it like a champ when we had to lock her crate and put up her water dish because the 8 month old wanted to play in both of them.
My guests went home, I praised my dog, and we all went to bed. The next day, I was going about my normal daily tasks when Bayley came into the room, playfully happy, and dropped at my feet a new toy. Upon inspection, I realized it was a small, red triangle that belongs to one of the 8 month old's toys. I praised Bayley for bringing me the toy and put it away to give to my sweet German coworker the next day.
Upon arriving at work the next day, I proudly present to my sweet German coworker the found triangle and make her guess where I found it. She says, "In her water bowl? In her crate? In her toy box?" I tell her, "In her mouth! She brought it to me!" My coworker's reply? "It was really nice of her to bring it to you because we looked all over the house for it before we left and couldn't find it. I think she hid it."
Bayley does have a habit of hiding her toys around the house, so I just had to laugh.
That Bayley, she sure is sneaky.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
My Awesome Person Trick!
Anyone who has ever met my sweet dog, Bayley, knows that she is a bit of a diva. "A bit of" might actually be an understatement. Bayley loves to be pampered in every way possible. She loves to cuddle up right next to you and gets slightly annoyed if you move and cause her discomfort. She likes to burrow under blankets (even if you are currently using the blanket) and is more than slightly offended if you fail to give her the blanket you are using when she wants it. Bayley loves to have you help her get comfortable under a blanket if she is struggling with this and she expects that you will allow her to curl up in the bed with you at night if she wants.
Bayley sometimes prances around the house while looking back at you to make sure you are following her to the destination she thinks you need to go with her. Usually, these destinations include going to the pantry to let us know it is time for us to feed her, going to the back door to let us know it is time for us to let her outside, or going to her toy box to let us know it is time to play with her.
But, of all the things Bayley does, the one I like the most is when she begs for treats. Bayley has a few favorite things in life and I believe that they are, in this order: 1) food of any kind (except veggies); 2) walks with her masters; 3) the dog park; 4) catching bugs; 5) blankets. So, it would make sense that if food of any kind is Bayley's favorite thing that dog treats would be favorite among food of any kind. In the dog treat category, there also exist different levels of love for Bayley. Bayley loves store bought treats. But, above all, Bayley loves dog treats that I make her from scratch. In fact, I think Bayley might even have a love affair with these treats. She loves them so much that I refer to them as "my people trick". You know how dogs do tricks to impress humans? Well, these treats are my trick that I do to impress my dog.
Here's how it works. I get out all the ingredients and begin to make the dog treats. Usually, you have to roll and cut the dough with cookie cutters (yes, I have dog themed ones!). Bayley has become familiar with this process and when I begin to make the treats, she comes running into the kitchen and prancing around excitedly. Then, I bake the treats. She runs to and from the oven throughout the baking process trying to tell me that she wants a treat. Usually, right when the treats come out of the oven, before they have even had time to cool, I will throw one on the floor for her to appease her curiousity. She will play with this treat by nipping and pawing at it until it cools and then devour it. Later, once the treats are cooled, I put them in a container on the kitchen counter. And this is where the real fun begins.
Bayley will frequently make trips to the kitchen to stare longingly at the kitchen counter where the treats are housed. She will come and get us to tell us that she wants a treat. She'll come and run to us and jump on us and then run into the kitchen while looking back to ensure that we are following and then sit down and stare up at the counter. If we fail to give her a treat, she will run into her crate and sit in there hoping we will then give her a treat. Bayley gets a treat when we put her in the crate to leave in the morning. She knows this. She also gets to eat her daily meal after sitting and looking up at us. She knows this, too. Bayley pulls out all the stops to obtain her special dog treats.
In fact, the other day, Bayley wanted a treat so badly that she came to find me and nudged at me for 30 minutes before I finally got up and asked her what she needed. She led me to the dog treats. I told her no and left. She then ran into the bedroom where my husband was, nudged at him, and ran back to the kitchen. I went to the bedroom to share what she was doing, and upon seeing us both in the bedroom, Bayley stood at the end of the hall, tail wagging, ears perked up, and looked at us expectantly. So, my husband (I think just to mess with her) got up and began to walk toward her. She ran to the treats and when this didn't work, she sat down. When this didn't work, she ran into her crate. And then, when it still didn't work, she ran back to the treats. I'm pretty sure we could have had her do just about anything in that moment if we had just followed it by a treat. And that, my friends, is an awesome people trick.
Bayley sometimes prances around the house while looking back at you to make sure you are following her to the destination she thinks you need to go with her. Usually, these destinations include going to the pantry to let us know it is time for us to feed her, going to the back door to let us know it is time for us to let her outside, or going to her toy box to let us know it is time to play with her.
But, of all the things Bayley does, the one I like the most is when she begs for treats. Bayley has a few favorite things in life and I believe that they are, in this order: 1) food of any kind (except veggies); 2) walks with her masters; 3) the dog park; 4) catching bugs; 5) blankets. So, it would make sense that if food of any kind is Bayley's favorite thing that dog treats would be favorite among food of any kind. In the dog treat category, there also exist different levels of love for Bayley. Bayley loves store bought treats. But, above all, Bayley loves dog treats that I make her from scratch. In fact, I think Bayley might even have a love affair with these treats. She loves them so much that I refer to them as "my people trick". You know how dogs do tricks to impress humans? Well, these treats are my trick that I do to impress my dog.
Here's how it works. I get out all the ingredients and begin to make the dog treats. Usually, you have to roll and cut the dough with cookie cutters (yes, I have dog themed ones!). Bayley has become familiar with this process and when I begin to make the treats, she comes running into the kitchen and prancing around excitedly. Then, I bake the treats. She runs to and from the oven throughout the baking process trying to tell me that she wants a treat. Usually, right when the treats come out of the oven, before they have even had time to cool, I will throw one on the floor for her to appease her curiousity. She will play with this treat by nipping and pawing at it until it cools and then devour it. Later, once the treats are cooled, I put them in a container on the kitchen counter. And this is where the real fun begins.
Bayley will frequently make trips to the kitchen to stare longingly at the kitchen counter where the treats are housed. She will come and get us to tell us that she wants a treat. She'll come and run to us and jump on us and then run into the kitchen while looking back to ensure that we are following and then sit down and stare up at the counter. If we fail to give her a treat, she will run into her crate and sit in there hoping we will then give her a treat. Bayley gets a treat when we put her in the crate to leave in the morning. She knows this. She also gets to eat her daily meal after sitting and looking up at us. She knows this, too. Bayley pulls out all the stops to obtain her special dog treats.
In fact, the other day, Bayley wanted a treat so badly that she came to find me and nudged at me for 30 minutes before I finally got up and asked her what she needed. She led me to the dog treats. I told her no and left. She then ran into the bedroom where my husband was, nudged at him, and ran back to the kitchen. I went to the bedroom to share what she was doing, and upon seeing us both in the bedroom, Bayley stood at the end of the hall, tail wagging, ears perked up, and looked at us expectantly. So, my husband (I think just to mess with her) got up and began to walk toward her. She ran to the treats and when this didn't work, she sat down. When this didn't work, she ran into her crate. And then, when it still didn't work, she ran back to the treats. I'm pretty sure we could have had her do just about anything in that moment if we had just followed it by a treat. And that, my friends, is an awesome people trick.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Geocaching
Today, I had my first "hard core" experience with geocaching. My aunt and uncle are fanatically about this "lifestyle" and have wanted to expose my husband and I to the joys of this experience for quite a while. So, today, we fianlly got together for a day of geocaching fun.
To begin, let me explain the idea of geocaching for those who don't know. Essentially, geocaching is a global Easter egg hunt for grown ups. You look up "caches" and let use your GPS device to navigate to the location in which the cache is hidden. Once you arrive at the location of the cache, you explore the area, moving rocks, bushes, and sticks until you uncover the cache. Caches are usually camoflauged to allow them to blend in and they usually are either a film canister, a small pill bottle, or something like that. Once you find the cache, you open it up, collect any trinkets inside, replace those trinkets with some of your own, sign the "finder's log" and replace the cache for the next person to find. Some caches are easy to find and some are more difficult. There are caches in parking lots, parks, creeks, cemetaries, fields, forests... pretty much everywhere. Some are called "park and grabs" which means that you can just park, find the cache quickly, and leave again. Others take several minutes to find. Most are small but some are "micro" or "nano" caches and these seem to be hardest. Apparently, some times people make a cache look like something else, like a piece of a tree or a screw and then it is really hard to find it! So, this is geocaching.
Now, let me set the scene of the day for you. We arrive at Starbucks to meet my aunt and uncle and when they arrive, I observe my uncle in a T-shirt that says, "I (heart) Geocaching." Oh, and they also have a geocaching bumper sticker on their car. Oh, yeah, it's going to be an adventure. Next thing I know, we are in the parking lot of the Starbucks looking around a gigantic rock to find a "quick cache" in the parking lot before beginning our real adventure. And, so, the day went on from there in this type of fashion.
Here's the thing I learned about geocaching today. While looking for a cache, people (and actually, you) will do things that any sane person (and you, on a normal day) would never do when not looking for a cache. And, you will do it happily and willingly. Example: today, we pulled off the road, walked through a field, hiked through poison ivy, and dug around an overgrown tree for 30 minutes to find a "micro" cache that looked like a screw in a tree branch. Then, we sat in our car while we watched a police officer almost arrest a hitchhiker who just happened to drop a bag of "nothing" immediately before being stopped by the officer. My aunt actually called 911 to tell them that the man dropped a bag before being stopped so dispatch could tell this to the officer. She told him we had pulled over to pull stickers out of our shoes and this is why we were on the side of the road. Cause, um, how do you explain to 911 that you were actually geocaching.
Other things that you will do while geocaching that you would never otherwise do include wandering through parking lots digging around lamp posts, walking through a creek bed sticking your hands in ANY hole you find in the rock face, and picking up sticks and rocks to look underneath them. Um, see, generally I try to avoid encouraging snakes to find me, and yet, today I found myself happily inviting them to come visit me when I disturb their hiding holes.... crazy.
And here's the craziest part of it all. It's so much fun! Now that I am home, clean, and safe, I find myself thinking about all of the places where something might be hidden without me even knowing it. And, I feel quite accomplished for having such a fun adventure today. The best part of all of it is that I got to spend the day with some of my favorite people laughing and searching while hanging out in the great outdoors and I thinking about nothing other than finding the next cache. What a fun and peaceful day.
I can't wait to go again!
To begin, let me explain the idea of geocaching for those who don't know. Essentially, geocaching is a global Easter egg hunt for grown ups. You look up "caches" and let use your GPS device to navigate to the location in which the cache is hidden. Once you arrive at the location of the cache, you explore the area, moving rocks, bushes, and sticks until you uncover the cache. Caches are usually camoflauged to allow them to blend in and they usually are either a film canister, a small pill bottle, or something like that. Once you find the cache, you open it up, collect any trinkets inside, replace those trinkets with some of your own, sign the "finder's log" and replace the cache for the next person to find. Some caches are easy to find and some are more difficult. There are caches in parking lots, parks, creeks, cemetaries, fields, forests... pretty much everywhere. Some are called "park and grabs" which means that you can just park, find the cache quickly, and leave again. Others take several minutes to find. Most are small but some are "micro" or "nano" caches and these seem to be hardest. Apparently, some times people make a cache look like something else, like a piece of a tree or a screw and then it is really hard to find it! So, this is geocaching.
Now, let me set the scene of the day for you. We arrive at Starbucks to meet my aunt and uncle and when they arrive, I observe my uncle in a T-shirt that says, "I (heart) Geocaching." Oh, and they also have a geocaching bumper sticker on their car. Oh, yeah, it's going to be an adventure. Next thing I know, we are in the parking lot of the Starbucks looking around a gigantic rock to find a "quick cache" in the parking lot before beginning our real adventure. And, so, the day went on from there in this type of fashion.
Here's the thing I learned about geocaching today. While looking for a cache, people (and actually, you) will do things that any sane person (and you, on a normal day) would never do when not looking for a cache. And, you will do it happily and willingly. Example: today, we pulled off the road, walked through a field, hiked through poison ivy, and dug around an overgrown tree for 30 minutes to find a "micro" cache that looked like a screw in a tree branch. Then, we sat in our car while we watched a police officer almost arrest a hitchhiker who just happened to drop a bag of "nothing" immediately before being stopped by the officer. My aunt actually called 911 to tell them that the man dropped a bag before being stopped so dispatch could tell this to the officer. She told him we had pulled over to pull stickers out of our shoes and this is why we were on the side of the road. Cause, um, how do you explain to 911 that you were actually geocaching.
Other things that you will do while geocaching that you would never otherwise do include wandering through parking lots digging around lamp posts, walking through a creek bed sticking your hands in ANY hole you find in the rock face, and picking up sticks and rocks to look underneath them. Um, see, generally I try to avoid encouraging snakes to find me, and yet, today I found myself happily inviting them to come visit me when I disturb their hiding holes.... crazy.
And here's the craziest part of it all. It's so much fun! Now that I am home, clean, and safe, I find myself thinking about all of the places where something might be hidden without me even knowing it. And, I feel quite accomplished for having such a fun adventure today. The best part of all of it is that I got to spend the day with some of my favorite people laughing and searching while hanging out in the great outdoors and I thinking about nothing other than finding the next cache. What a fun and peaceful day.
I can't wait to go again!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
The Choking Game
“The choking game is a dangerous practice of tweens and teens in which they self-strangulate in order to achieve a brief high. The high is the result of oxygen rushing back to the brain after it is cut off by the practice of strangulation.” (taken from http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/healthfitness/f/ChokingGame.htm)
Tweens and teens play this game in groups by physically choking each other and alone through use of belts, leashes, scarves, and ropes to strangle themselves. In a group, one teen chokes another until the “player” passes out. Then, the first teen releases the grip around the player. Alone, the player ties one end of a ligature around the neck and either pulls it tight or ties the other end around a door knob, bed post, curtain rod, or other object in an effort to strangle him or herself. The individual plans to release the ligature used to induce strangulation right before passing out. In some cases, the teen is unable to release the ligature from around the neck prior to passing out. In these instances, the individual dies from strangulation and/ or hanging.
The choking game is also referred to by several other names including the fainting game, Flat liner, Pass Out, Gasp, Suffocation Roulette, Blackout, and Hangman.
According to a recent study, 1/3 of all 8th graders reported knowing some one who had played this game. 6% of 8th graders reported playing it themselves. 40% of the kids surveyed said they saw no danger in playing this game. (from http://chokinggame.net/)
Many children who engage in this activity are intelligent, highly achieving adolescents who think this game is a safe alternative to using drugs or an easy way to achieve a high without getting caught using drugs. The game is usually played by teens age 9-16 but children as young as 6 have died playing it. It is suspected that 1% of all completed suicides are due to the choking game but in most causes this is a difficult distinction to make.
Risks associated with playing this game include seizures, broken bones, brain damage, memory loss, strokes, concussions, and death.
Signs and Symptoms include:
• Any suspicious mark or bruise on the neck, sometimes hidden by a turtleneck, scarf or permanently turned-up collar, or wearing clothing that covers the neck even in warm weather.
• Changes in personality, such as overtly aggressive, irritable, or agitated.
• Any kind of strap, rope or belt lying around near the child for no clear reason—and attempts to elude questions about such objects.
• Headaches (sometimes frequent and excruciatingly painful), loss of concentration, flushed face.
• Bloodshot eyes or any other noticeable signs of eye stress such as bleeding under the skin of the face or eyelids.
• Confusion or disorientation after being alone.
• A thud in the bedroom or against a wall—meaning a fall in cases of solitary practice.
• Any questions about the effects, sensations or dangers of strangulation.
• Wear marks on furniture (bed posts, door knobs, etc.)
• Linens or ropes tied around door knobs or furniture
• The frequent need for privacy
For more information: http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/healthfitness/f/ChokingGame.htm; http://chokinggame.net/; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fainting_game; http://www.gaspinfo.com/en/home.html
Tweens and teens play this game in groups by physically choking each other and alone through use of belts, leashes, scarves, and ropes to strangle themselves. In a group, one teen chokes another until the “player” passes out. Then, the first teen releases the grip around the player. Alone, the player ties one end of a ligature around the neck and either pulls it tight or ties the other end around a door knob, bed post, curtain rod, or other object in an effort to strangle him or herself. The individual plans to release the ligature used to induce strangulation right before passing out. In some cases, the teen is unable to release the ligature from around the neck prior to passing out. In these instances, the individual dies from strangulation and/ or hanging.
The choking game is also referred to by several other names including the fainting game, Flat liner, Pass Out, Gasp, Suffocation Roulette, Blackout, and Hangman.
According to a recent study, 1/3 of all 8th graders reported knowing some one who had played this game. 6% of 8th graders reported playing it themselves. 40% of the kids surveyed said they saw no danger in playing this game. (from http://chokinggame.net/)
Many children who engage in this activity are intelligent, highly achieving adolescents who think this game is a safe alternative to using drugs or an easy way to achieve a high without getting caught using drugs. The game is usually played by teens age 9-16 but children as young as 6 have died playing it. It is suspected that 1% of all completed suicides are due to the choking game but in most causes this is a difficult distinction to make.
Risks associated with playing this game include seizures, broken bones, brain damage, memory loss, strokes, concussions, and death.
Signs and Symptoms include:
• Any suspicious mark or bruise on the neck, sometimes hidden by a turtleneck, scarf or permanently turned-up collar, or wearing clothing that covers the neck even in warm weather.
• Changes in personality, such as overtly aggressive, irritable, or agitated.
• Any kind of strap, rope or belt lying around near the child for no clear reason—and attempts to elude questions about such objects.
• Headaches (sometimes frequent and excruciatingly painful), loss of concentration, flushed face.
• Bloodshot eyes or any other noticeable signs of eye stress such as bleeding under the skin of the face or eyelids.
• Confusion or disorientation after being alone.
• A thud in the bedroom or against a wall—meaning a fall in cases of solitary practice.
• Any questions about the effects, sensations or dangers of strangulation.
• Wear marks on furniture (bed posts, door knobs, etc.)
• Linens or ropes tied around door knobs or furniture
• The frequent need for privacy
For more information: http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/healthfitness/f/ChokingGame.htm; http://chokinggame.net/; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fainting_game; http://www.gaspinfo.com/en/home.html
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