Spring is Here

Pupdate from Liv (and me)

It is Spring here in our part of the world. Where has the time gone this year?! I like marking the change of seasons even though it is something out of our control.

The first day of Spring started with a below-freezing night, and the low tire light was on. This didn’t phase me. There are plenty of other things happening. I write for a local magazine and coordinate the content, which is technically a very part time role, but sometimes takes a lot of time writing and putting together the content for the proof.

Lately, on top of my other 'gigs' I have immersed myself in Strategy Sprints work. It is going well. Working through business issues with groups energizes me, but it is still pretty new, which is nerve racking to say the least.

Each day I think of my top one to three priorities for the next day. And say, oh wow, how am I going to do that?! Then I look at my schedule and commitments and think, oh wow, I have to change something. So each day is very energizing (except last Wednesday when I had the worst migraine in years, and everything stopped for a day). I have slowly been cutting back the work I have been doing for others, which is a big milestone.

I've also been thinking about what I should have as my main offer. One thread that remains throughout many years is facilitation. The other day I was thinking about how harmful dichotmous thinking can be. I don't actually remember why. Like so many insights, it felt palpable and brilliant at the time, but when I came back to it…there wasn’t much more there. Maybe it will come back. There was also an insight about how being a hero is not sustainable or scalable, and it is okay to not save the day all the time.

Some highlights of recent days from what is really important:

Liv passed her Canine Good Citizen evaluation two weekends ago, so she is an official Good Girl. I will mail her form with her AKC number. I want to re-try her pet therapy test, but she still gobbles food handed to her since she is so excited to eat, so I don't feel we are ready. She only has to re-test on not gobbling up food.

Liv completed her under water treadmill sessions a while back. We took Liv for her longest walk since her surgery at Black Rock Sanctuary, and she seemed to love being in the meadow and the woods. She romped along just fine. I have also let her hop into the back floorboard instead of using her steps. She also came out of the car without me lifting her, but that was more her decision rather than my choice to let her. She has specific ideas and strong feelings about what she wants to do. For example, when I start to lift her down, she tries to launch out. I usually catch her and lift her slowly.

The stairs into the apartment are still the most challenging, and she is slower than she used to be when going up. Going down, I keep her going slow and try not to get injured as she wants to cross over and speed up. We use her sling to assist her as she builds her strength. It is a long process to recover. I wonder if I will always worry about the hardware in her leg and her other leg since most dogs end up tearing their other cruciate ligament once they have surgery.

Still, she is often happy and even back to normal, trying to chase squirrels, walk the curb, and even do zoomies (as much as she can on a leash or inside).

Unfortunately, Liv found a bone by the parking lot on our bedtime potty walk. I managed to get some out of her mouth as she chomped it. She got some, swallowed, and hacked. I hope it is okay. It probably will be.