People always ask me how did I raise such a beautiful happy dog named Finnegan. "He is this, and he is that. What did you do?"
Well, whatever the encounter was, it sure made an impact on me to be a dog momma. All I can recall is one evening looking out the window. We had just purchased our first iPhones and not long before that, we got a sexy Sony flatscreen TV. At 5'2", I found myself weighing 122 pounds, unhappy and feeling very unattractive in my relationship. Every single night I grew to dislike sitting in front of the TV eating dinner and Ben and Jerry's ice cream; falling asleep on the couch only having to wake up in the middle of the night to get in bed. This happened frequently, and I grew weary and deeply concerned about the long term impact of what I was doing to this vessel I claimed as my body. A thought bubble appears, and I said to myself, I didn't get in a relationship to sit on my expanding butt, watching people live their lives vicariously in the screen. So that one evening, in that state of disgust and yearning, I looked out the window and witnessed our street full of people walking their dogs. One, in particular, caught my eye, a big labrador/Newfie mix, a happy looking dog with white feet which later we learned to be named "Brian." His eyes looked bright, fresh, and smiled with swagger and his people walked side by side holding hands. Next thing I did was researching breeds and temperaments of different kinds of dogs. I remember loving a miniature Schnauzer, but that was short-lived. I spoke with breeders and volunteered at shelters to walk dogs to get the vibes of different kinds of dogs. Without effort and hassle, when I encountered a golden retriever male that was the last left of his litter, it didn't take much for me to convince myself to reach out my hands to hold and embrace him. I knew instantly what my role would be for him; I would take great care of him. The rest is history.
Relationships are not just with people. It is also with dogs, cats, whatever animal or living being who is under your care. It is also with money, it is also with our company, our state, our city, whatever we encounter in our lives. From what I see in the world we live in, there is no moral distinction of who is better and deserves better care. We have a role and have an impact. How do we want to make it happen? We can make our lives more difficult full of limitations by thinking, viewing, feeling, and seeing a certain way. Yes, life happens. Stuff happens. It can wreck our lives, but at the end of the day, we can choose to get up and move on and grow. It takes practice and study and desire. Going back to the dog, and how Finnegan got to be who he is, it is him. Just like any other being, he lives and moves forward through walking; smelling the world around him as he migrates marking his spots to remember his way home and learn about his world. As a dog momma, it is my commitment to give him the quality of life. Dogs have to be leashed, they are fenced, locked up as pets to provide love to their people. I feel that is not enough. When I decided to adopt a dog, I wasn't just going to leave him as my property. As far as I know in my experience, he spreads joy. I learned a lot from his company and energy. I always will be forever looking up for my Papa, who showed me how to love animals and cultivate trust and relationship with them. I will also be forever quiet and gratified for my American grandpa who talked about the quality of life and how what we do with our body has a cost in life. I realize my thoughts are extreme in this "pet" world and that I may be viewed as crazy, but I am not going to care what others may think. We live in a free society, or better yet, I strive that way of living. We create our life and expression. I am jazzed to see that there are more doggie mommas and pops out there who are going against the grain, giving their pups more than just a pet life. I don't feel so alone and weird.
This is the energy and vibe I put out when I work. I want to work with individuals whose values align with mine, and my values align with theirs. I want to be embraced for my uniqueness, passion, and love of music.
Vibing with this groove as I finish this post and in the words of my love language, Japan: “Konichiwa” by Danny Benét who is opening for one of my fave bands from Los Angeles this Friday, August 5, 2019, at The Independent in San Francisco. Music is love. Come out and play.