Doggy Steps

I’m amazed this must be said: dogs need to be walked. Dogs know this. Why don’t their owners know it? My neighborhood is full of neurotic, anxious dogs that NEVER get walked. They sit in their lonely yards making sure everyone around them knows how miserable they are. When they inevitably break free, they put themselves and everyone else at risk. Walk the poor dog! When you do, use a harness – it gives better control and prevents injury – and a leash. Regardless of how well-behaved you THINK your dog is, never skip the leash. (While I have your attention, don’t leave the house without a bag to remove waste. Poop isn’t free fertilizer. No one wants your steaming pile on the sole of their shoe.) In summer, schedule your walk for times when the pavement won’t burn your best friend’s feet. Just walk the dog! He’ll be healthier and happier. So will you.

Lucky Pieces

“Brother Johnson noticed our family had no kitchen table. He appeared the next day with an odd-looking but functional table that fit nicely against the trailer wall across from the kitchen sink. Two of the table legs matched the tabletop and two did not. Also, several small wooden pegs stuck out along one edge of the worn surface. One evening I stood inside Brother Johnson’s front door as I waited for him before a home teaching appointment. There in the nearby kitchen was a table practically identical to the one they had given to my family. The only difference was that where our table had pegs, the Johnsons’ table had holes! I then realized that, seeing our need, this charitable man had cut his kitchen table in half and had built two new legs for each half. Throughout my life this kind act has been a powerful reminder of true giving.” - Son Quang Le

Catch As You Can

A few days ago the Huffington Post published Benjamin Hardy’s Eight Things Every Person Should do Before 8:00 A.M. His suggestions were:

Get at least 7 hours of sleep. When I don’t get to bed on time, I drag through the whole day.

Pray or meditate for clarity and abundance. I like to focus my prayers on gratitude and direction.

Engage in physical activity. I usually walk, but swimming and biking keep it interesting.

Consume 30 grams of protein. Skip the cereal; have a couple of eggs instead.

Take a cold shower. At least as cool as you can stand it. It’s great for your skin and hair, and very refreshing.

Read or listen to something uplifting. I’m currently enjoying Benjamin Mee’s We Bought a Zoo.

Review your life vision. Your goals, long and short, should be written down and reassessed periodically.

Do at least one thing toward a long-term goal; even if it’s something small.

Pall Mall

“Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some, and draw and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Take a nap in the afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up, and nobody really knows why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup—they all die. So do we. Remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: look.” – Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Southwark Star

Tonight is closing night for Peter Pan. I’ve enjoyed being a small part of this play, though I haven’t actually seen any of it. When I’m in the orchestra pit I can usually catch a glimpse of whatever is happening on the stage “apron.” But for this play the orchestra is onstage, literally behind the scenery. The unusual position has solved some acoustic issues, but it makes following visual cues (this musical is full of them) a real challenge. Peter Pan has some wonderful tunes. My two favorites are a sweet little sentimental waltz that Mrs. Darling dances with her children in the nursery as the play opens, and a lullaby that Peter dimly recalls near the end of act two: “My child, my very own, don't be afraid, you're not alone. Sleep until the dawn for all is well.” Somehow I didn’t realize until yesterday that they’re actually the same melody; a musical variation on not seeing the forest for the trees.

Cockney Star

Friends forward this story to me from time to time. Sometimes it’s about a zoo carpark, sometimes a hospital or a shopping centre. As far as I can tell it never really happened. But it’s an entertaining tale nonetheless: “Outside Bristol Zoo there’s a carpark for cars and coaches. There was a nice bloke with a ticket machine charging cars £1 and coaches £5. This parking attendant worked there about 25 years, then one day didn't show up for work. ‘Ho hum,’ say Bristol Zoo management, ‘better phone up Bristol City Council and get them to send a new parking attendant.’ ‘No,’ say the Council. ‘The car park is your responsibility.’ ‘The attendant was employed by you, wasn't he?’ say the Zoo. ‘No!’ is the Council’s reply. Meanwhile, sitting in some villa in the south of Spain is the bloke who had been pocketing the Bristol Zoo car park takings for the last 25 years!”