The Dog Whisperer

Inspiration can come from different sources. Tonight- my inspiration is strictly mindless.


(Click photo to enlarge)


Row 1: Portrait of Hubble, Pulled a king size duvet comforter into her cage

Row 2: Fastest-Eater-Ever, Afraid of everything

Row 3: Learns how to escape cage, Ate 3 mice (3! in a row!)

Row 4: Shredded 2 pairs of my leather boots, Discovered how to open doors


Our dog is weird.

There’s No Crying in Baseball

Although this blog doesn’t prove it (based on this and previous posts) I am not a crier. I do not cry. But today, and the day before, and the day before I cried. It turns out that running on empty for too long is not good for holding back ‘what’s-wrong-with-me-mini-breakdowns’ in the ladies restroom (or with friends, for that matter).

There is no crying in baseball. -Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own

People ask me how I’m doing and I’m tired of answering ‘great’ because the truth is, I’m not great. I’m crumbling. Like big chunks of ‘watch for falling rock’ on the side of a mountain, pieces of me are crashing to the ground.

When a person visits a doctor she looks at the symptoms and gives advice for ‘fixing’ what’s wrong. So I started looking at my symptoms:

  • Symptom 1. My ability to hear and take criticism is low. I have left no time for improving my output. I’m barely fitting in my necessary responsibilities and hoping no one challenges me along the way because I have left no margin for that.
  • Symptom 2. I cry. When I’m low, I cry. Even though I despise my tears, they rain down my cheeks as if to warn me that my emotional health is running in empty. Time to recharge.
  • Symptom 3. I focus on surface content. This is really the first sign that I begin to notice when things are not right. I don’t want to be around others and I want to just be… quiet. Still. I don’t take the energy or time to really invest in relationships.
Recommended Medicine: Slowing my schedule, running, and laughing. Tonight is a bag of popcorn, Iron Man 2, and Brandon.

There’s No Crying in Baseball

Although this blog doesn’t prove it (based on this and previous posts) I am not a crier. I do not cry. But today, and the day before, and the day before I cried. It turns out that running on empty for too long is not good for holding back ‘what’s-wrong-with-me-mini-breakdowns’ in the ladies restroom (or with friends, for that matter).


There is no crying in baseball. -Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own




People ask me how I’m doing and I’m tired of answering ‘great’ because the truth is, I’m not great. I’m crumbling. Like big chunks of ‘watch for falling rock’ on the side of a mountain, pieces of me are crashing to the ground.


When a person visits a doctor she looks at the symptoms and gives advice for ‘fixing’ what’s wrong. So I started looking at my symptoms:


  • Symptom 1. My ability to hear and take criticism is low. I have left no time for improving my output. I’m barely fitting in my necessary responsibilities and hoping no one challenges me along the way because I have left no margin for that.
  • Symptom 2. I cry. When I’m low, I cry. Even though I despise my tears, they rain down my cheeks as if to warn me that my emotional health is running in empty. Time to recharge.
  • Symptom 3. I focus on surface content. This is really the first sign that I begin to notice when things are not right. I don’t want to be around others and I want to just be… quiet. Still. I don’t take the energy or time to really invest in relationships.
Recommended Medicine: Slowing my schedule, running, and laughing. Tonight is a bag of popcorn, Iron Man 2, and Brandon.

Mediterranean Goal in Aisle 9


My selection process for food at the grocery store is loosely based on my desire for a challenge so I pick out, what I would consider, interesting food. Really I pick out food that I wish I cooked, which means I should have more than pretzels, cheese, and apples in my cart. Tonight was a Mediterranean goal in aisle 9: I will find a great couscous recipe. Then, I proudly placed a box of curry couscous in my cart. Four squeaky grocery cart wheels and a long check-out line outline later, I was home pondering what to cook. Looks like I’ll settle for ol’ faithful: grilled cheese (for a main course) and a pickle (for a vegetable).
One of my professors in college made a statement that has stuck with me. He said, you don’t see yourself as you are. You don’t see yourself as others see you. Rather, you see yourself as you think others see you.
I know there are times that I do things so I can be the person I want others to see me as…so I buy couscous at Meijer. Perception can be a motivating thing.
I wonder how many other actions I accomplish in a day, in a week, in a month that are driven by the ‘who I think others see me as’ complex? Are we all tainted by that perception of reality? I wonder, how would your perception change if you started seeing yourself as you really are? As God sees you?

Mediterranean Goal in Aisle 9

My selection process for food at the grocery store is loosely based on my desire for a challenge so I pick out, what I would consider, interesting food. Really I pick out food that I wish I cooked, which means I should have more than pretzels, cheese, and apples in my cart. Tonight was a Mediterranean goal in aisle 9: I will find a great couscous recipe. Then, I proudly placed a box of curry couscous in my cart. Four squeaky grocery cart wheels and a long check-out line outline later, I was home pondering what to cook. Looks like I’ll settle for ol’ faithful: grilled cheese (for a main course) and a pickle (for a vegetable).


One of my professors in college made a statement that has stuck with me. He said, you don’t see yourself as you are. You don’t see yourself as others see you. Rather, you see yourself as you think others see you.


I know there are times that I do things so I can be the person I want others to see me as…so I buy couscous at Meijer. Perception can be a motivating thing.


I wonder how many other actions I accomplish in a day, in a week, in a month that are driven by the ‘who I think others see me as’ complex? Are we all tainted by that perception of reality? I wonder, how would your perception change if you started seeing yourself as you really are? As God sees you?

Rhythm o’ Lazy

It’s 11 a.m. and I haven’t done much besides check the weather, which was a redundant thing to do since I could already hear the thunder and see the rain. The report coming from the automated computer voice with a slight English accent was quite simply, “rain today.” Good to know.

Now off to my next challenge: motivation. I can feel the guilt cover me when I let laziness run longer than my self policed time allotment with it. I know it, can name it, but not really that interested in fixing it. Is it really okay to relax and not cover my neatly written to-do list with little check marks?
Today, I’m looking for my rhythm o’ lazy where I can be okay with being me.

Rhythm o’ Lazy

It’s 11 a.m. and I haven’t done much besides check the weather, which was a redundant thing to do since I could already hear the thunder and see the rain. The report coming from the automated computer voice with a slight English accent was quite simply, “rain today.” Good to know.

Now off to my next challenge: motivation. I can feel the guilt cover me when I let laziness run longer than my self policed time allotment with it. I know it, can name it, but not really that interested in fixing it. Is it really okay to relax and not cover my neatly written to-do list with little check marks?
Today, I’m looking for my rhythm o’ lazy where I can be okay with being me.

Solve Your Problem: Chuck It

The past few weeks, I’ve been on the front lines in meetings and I think I might have come close to death more than once. Have you read the book, Death By Meeting by Patrick Lencioni? It’s about how to have, hold, and lead effective meetings (as you could probably infer from the title).
Never mind the meeting to solve things, I propose a new way of solving problems. If it’s outdated by a double digit number of years, chuck it.

“Over the coming decades, an accelerating pace of change will test the resilience of every society, organization and individual. Luckily, perturbations create opportunities as well as challenges. But the balance of promise and peril confronting any particular organization will depend on its capacity for adaptation. Hence the most important question for any company is this: Are we changing as fast as the world around us?” –Gary Hamel

There are times that I think an organization does things because it makes the people in the organization ‘feel’ better but not because it’s the best thing to do. It’s easy to get stuck solving a symptom rather than mending the looming larger issue. If we’re still working on a grizzled issue, chances are it’s actually time to toss it and re ask the question to identify the new solution. Give way for a fresh perspective.
I’m not sure how many issues this is applicable to in your scenario but I can think of a few in my own life. I’m wasting time trying to solve an issue only to realize that world is changing faster than I am.

Solve Your Problem: Chuck It

The past few weeks, I’ve been on the front lines in meetings and I think I might have come close to death more than once. Have you read the book, Death By Meeting by Patrick Lencioni? It’s about how to have, hold, and lead effective meetings (as you could probably infer from the title).

Never mind the meeting to solve things, I propose a new way of solving problems. If it’s outdated by a double digit number of years, chuck it.

“Over the coming decades, an accelerating pace of change will test the resilience of every society, organization and individual. Luckily, perturbations create opportunities as well as challenges. But the balance of promise and peril confronting any particular organization will depend on its capacity for adaptation. Hence the most important question for any company is this: Are we changing as fast as the world around us?” –Gary Hamel


There are times that I think an organization does things because it makes the people in the organization ‘feel’ better but not because it’s the best thing to do. It’s easy to get stuck solving a symptom rather than mending the looming larger issue. If we’re still working on a grizzled issue, chances are it’s actually time to toss it and re ask the question to identify the new solution. Give way for a fresh perspective.

I’m not sure how many issues this is applicable to in your scenario but I can think of a few in my own life. I’m wasting time trying to solve an issue only to realize that world is changing faster than I am.


Find the Confidence You Need in 1 Easy Step



Step 1: Do something.
On Sunday, I did. I finished goal #1 on my list of goals: complete a half marathon. Check.
Sometimes we need something to keep our mind off of other things. For me, work can be consuming (sometimes)…(actually lots of times). So in an act of emotional health desperation, I wrote down my goals and set out do them. I guess that’s what happens when you have a dad that sends you Zig Zigalar quotes in place of empathy- you get motivated.
My 13.1-mile runners high from Sunday is seeping into the week and yes, it’s a little brighter today. Even Chicago traffic can’t deter my confident mood. I found that inspiration to life comes from the simplicity of doing something. My something is running. You may not be able to do everything- but something you can do. Something is better than nothing.

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.- Maya Angelou

I hope you find confidence in something so your soul can meet the inspiration it needs.
*Also posted this on Sulu