Oh My Love is Like a Red, Red, Rose

When Doc was a sophomore in high school, her English teacher, Sister Seraphine, had the class pick a poem of their choice to memorize and then they had to recite it out loud. Doc said she picked a poem by Robert Burns, a Scottish poet, called “A Red, Red, Rose”. With Valentines Day being only a few days away, the upcoming holiday must have triggered her memory, because she looked at me and started reciting the poem out loud. I was a bit startled and impressed that she still remembered it. That only goes to show you how how much stuff we store in our brains and it got me to thinking about how each of us has a different experience with love.

Growing up in Doc’s house I have felt safe, accepted, loved and wanted That is the definition of love that I understand, but sadly not every one has experienced that in their life. So let’s take a minute to talk about what love is and isn’t. Someone that loves you shows respect, trust, support, acceptance, cheers for your independence and is open to communicating so you can share your needs and wishes. Love is not abusive, controlling, manipulative or critical. Love should not leave you feeling drained or questioning your self worth.

Sadly, too many people in this world are left feeling unloved and some of those people end up patient’s of Doc and myself. Of course my job is to except everyone unconditionally and that helps, but they also have to learn what is healthy love and what isn’t. Often times, a lot of damage has been done, but as people heal, and begin to see their worth, they start to set boundaries with those that don’t treat them well. As Doc always says “ Don’t let the terrible things that have happened in your life define you”. The more you start loving yourself, the less likely you are to let someone in that doesn’t.

So as Valentine’s Day approaches, reach out to those you love and don’t forget to give yourself the love you deserve either.

Guarding Against the Vampires in Your Life

Have you ever spent time with someone, only to find you were exhausted after they left? You may have encountered an emotional vampire. When we think about vampires, we picture the ones from the movies. Wearing a black cape, they are blood-drinking entities that only come out at night to find their prey. Biting the person in the neck and drinking their blood to reenergize themselves. But I am here to tell you that there are vampires walking the earth every day and they are in human form, so beware.

Much like the vampires of folklore, they act in very shady ways and do not concern themselves with how others feel, because they are more concerned about themselves. They feed on others physical and emotional energy to fill their inner void which happens to be a big hole that can never be filled. They target people that have poor boundaries, who are easy prey, and then invade your space, making you feel helpless.

So what can you do if you have an emotional vampire in your life? Maybe you continue with the relationship trying to set better limits to protect yourself, or it may be time to distant yourself, especially if the person is affecting your emotional or physical health.

You can also learn to be more aware, so that you are not taking on other people’s problems over and over. If you feel constantly drained by the same person, that may be a toxic relationship.

In the end you decide how you interact with others and how you respond. Strong boundaries go a long way at keeping the vampires away.

You Can’t Learn From Your Emotions, If You Don’t Allow Yourself To Feel Them

We all have emotions that can be uncomfortable for us to experience. I for one don’t like to hear the word “no” when I want more treats, it makes me both sad and mad, but luckily, since I have a dog brain, I move on rather quickly. I have observed that’s not so easy for you humans, so that is where Doc and I come in with some advice.

The most important thing to learn is that when you start blocking out the uncomfortable emotions, they don’t really go away, your body and brain keep count. You can try to self medicate with alcohol/drugs, food, binging on social media, or outright ignore what you are feeling, but it is still there, waiting to be triggered again and rise to the surface.

Doc and I both think you can learn a lot from your feelings. So if there are feelings you are struggling with ask yourself why? What am I trying to avoid, why is this uncomfortable, and most important , what can I learn from this?

I am lucky, Doc has always let me feel safe enough to express how I feel as along as I am not disrespectful. For instance, I sometimes get scared when I go to the veterinarians office and I have to get a shot. When I am scared, I lower my head, put my tail between my legs, try to hide behind Doc and sometimes shake. She would never make me feel ashamed by saying something like “stop acting like such a baby!” No, she and the vet techs are kind and speak softly until the procedure is over. So you see, how we have been treated when we show our feelings, sets the pattern for what we feel comfortable expressing and what remains hidden.

There are many healthy ways to cope with feelings, including talking to a trusted person, meditation, exercise and journaling your thoughts, just to name a few. Or you can do what Doc does lately when she has had a bad day, she goes outside and shovels snow until all of her stress is gone and then comes in and cuddles with me.

However you choose to cope, remember one thing, you can’t fix what you don’t acknowledge.

Trusting My Intuition

This morning when we left for work it was -3 degrees. Doc has me so bundled up in a coat and scarves I can barely move. She didn’t even contemplate staying home to work, because well, that’s just Doc, in her mind, you get up and go to work, no matter what. I told her it was so cold that it’s snowing in New Orleans and all she said was ‘ what does that have to do with us?” So off went.

We were the first one’s here at 6am, so it was quiet. After getting situated in the office, she got the coffee ready for our 9am Stress Management group and made sure the room was warm for the patients. .We both worry about some of our patient’s that struggle during this cold snap and want to make sure they have a warm and welcoming place to come to.

Today in group, we are going to finish talking about the intuitive part of the brain. Yup, you don’t need to hire a psychic to tell you what to do, you have that ability right inside several regions of your brain if you just pay attention. Since we are wired to recognize patterns, as we learn to pay more attention to those “gut feelings,” listening to our intuition can help us to make better decisions and keep us safe.

Knowing all of that, I was surprised when I told Doc that my intuition was telling me that we need to go home and get under some blankets on the couch and she said “no, nice try, now get back to work.”

Let It Snow

When the calendar changed to January, someone notified Mother Nature that it was winter, and boy did she respond in a hurry. While I hear all of you humans complaining about the cold and the snow, I for one, am enjoying it.

I have to hand it to Doc, we still take our daily walks although they are much shorter. She knows the importance of me being able to get some exercise and also sniff the fire hydrants and the lampposts to check for any pee-mail left behind by another dog. Did you know letting your dog do that helps to stimulate their brain?

The best part of the day comes after our walk, when the sun sets and darkness envelops the earth. Doc and I cuddle on the couch by the fire. She reads while I drift in and out of blissful sleep comforted by the fact that I am safe, warm and loved. For this dog, there is nothing better than that.

Christmas Time!

This morning Doc and I arrived to work extra early to get ready for our big Christmas celebration at work today. We snuck in the big room where we have group therapy and finished decorating the tree like two elves coming in the night. We want everything to look just right for our Stress Management group and for the party later today for the patients. So let the festivities begin.

This morning Doc has a special surprise for the patient’s in our Stress Management group. She brought in ornaments to decorate and last night she baked blueberry muffins to share. She said today we are going to talk about things we need to let go of and leave in 2024. I pondered wht she said thinking, “now that’s a deep topic.” I started thinking what I wanted to leave behind in 2024 and first on my list was no more surgeries. I guess there are things we hold onto that we need to let go of like, grudges, guilt, dysfunctional relationships, or bad habits. We will see what the patient’s come up with when asked that question.

So., it’s time to get busy with our day and Doc and I hope you have a great Holiday!

When Your Life is Still in Stiches

It has been two weeks since my surgery, and although I am doing much better, I am still on the mend. Life is like that sometimes, you just have to be patient while you heal and focus on how you have improved, not on how much further you have to go.

At least I have graduated from having to wear the cone of shame and I am now only wearing a tee shirt to protect my stiches until they are removed this Saturday. They itch sometimes as they are healing, but Doc reminds me not to scratch. I know she cares about me but she can be annoying at times, the way she hovers over me. I am just ready for things to get back to normal and I can run and play again without restrictions.

One thing I am really looking forward to is the Christmas part we are having next Wednesday for the patients. I know there will be good food to eat, hopefully Santa will show up and I can visit with people I don’t see as often. For those that celebrate the holidays, it can be a time to come together, focus on the positive and maybe heal some old wounds.

Today I am just going to focus on helping my patient’s the best I can and continue to absorb all the sympathy and extra treats I can get while I am still healing.

Wearing the Cone of Shame

While the rest of you were celebrating Thanksgiving and decking the halls, I was homebound after my surgery last Tuesday. On top of the discomfort, Doc and the Veterinarian, made me wear a stupid tee shirt and a cone to keep me from messing with my stiches. I have never felt so humiliated in my life. But I digress, let me start from the beginning.

Last Tuesday morning, Doc dropped me off at the Vet’s office and left me there for my surgery, while she went on to work. I have to say, I didn’t like that too much, being abandoned in my time of need. The staff was nice to me as always, but of course I was anxious because Doc had told me what was going to happen. After a few hours they came to get me for my surgery. After they put the IV in my leg and gave me medication to go to sleep, I didn’t remember too much. When I woke up I was in a crate wearing a big plastic cone and places on my body hurt. Later I found out that the doctor had removed 6 fatty tumors (lipomas) from my body, all non cancerous. They found one attached to a muscle under my front leg, so it was good they found that one before it was embedded too deep in the muscle. I just kind of drifted in and out of sleep for the rest of the day, then at about 5pm, they said Doc was here to pick me up.

I won’t lie, it was a struggling to walk, as I still felt so groggy from the medication. I was limping from the surgery and had a big red bandage wrapped around my leg. When Doc saw me she said I looked like a soldier returning from battle.

The next thing I knew, Dustin, the nice vet tech, lifted me into the back of Doc’s car and we went home. The first night was kind of rough, and I could tell Doc was worried about me. She took good care of me and was very strict about fallowing the post surgical orders. Thanksgiving was nice, but I still wasn’t up to par, but I did get lots of sympathy from the family and even four year old AJ, Doc’s great-nephew, gave me a kiss.

So here we are, I am back to work with restrictions, still wearing that stupid cone and a tee shirt, but I found all of that garners a lot of sympathy from the patient’s and the staff. I admit, I kind of like that. I am feeling better every day and this just goes to show you, you can’t keep an old dog down for too long.