Zero's Pollyanna Glad Journal

So here is my first entry in my Pollyanna Glad Journal. I'm hoping to get some time to reflect on the good things in my life and track my progress in keeping a positive attitude.

Time to take a deep breath and appreciate a few things.

First off, I had a productive day at work.

The weather is gorgeous; and we might even get thunderstorms tonight. I love thunderstorms.

My oldest dog is doing much better on his new arthritis medication. His old enthusiasm is back.

I ate very healthy today, took my vitamins, remembered my medications, AND (this is monumental) spent fifteen minutes on the elliptical machine, during which I got to read a whole chapter of a novel.

My husband made a fantastic dinner of lamb chops, steamed carrots and cheese ravioli with pesto. I am truly blessed.

My plant light experiment in the basement is working... I have seedlings!!!

Today it was pretty easy to keep a good attitude. For the record, my boss is a moody, micromanager. It was funny when I walked into his office and he asked in his sharp voice, "Now how are you sending these documents? I want to make sure they get there tomorrow!" Then he saw the Fedex box in my hands, and said "Oh, I see" before I could even answer him. At long last I was one step ahead of him and he realized it!

Next I think it's time to appreciate my pillow and the ceiling fan blowing the cool spring air on my face while I sleep. Good night! -- z

I had a wonderful thought today on my way home from work today. It occurred to me that my husband has helped me be a better person. We don't always see eye-to-eye, but I know that he cares about me and puts my interests first. He's someone I can trust.

A few days ago I meant to stop by and write a little about Zero... he's the one in my picture. He's going to be thirteen years old this year. I remember the first day I saw him at the pound. He was six months old. I let him out of his cage. He timidly stepped out. He walked six feet one way, then turned and went back to the cage. I was living in an apartment at the time and thought he'd make a nice calm dog. Little did I know. My late-H, R, made a big fuss about him not being the right dog. I went on and on about him, "I want Watson!" (Watson was his first name.) R kept coming up with arguments for days until finally, he said, "You are determined to ruin the best Valentine's day gift ever. I've already arranged to get him." Zero had surgery to be fixed the day we brought him home. R had taken Zero to his grandparent's house to sleep it off for a while. R's granddad, J, gave him a cardboard box filled with old jeans for Zero to lie in. Zero loved those jeans, and spent years tearing them to shreds. I thought I'd never stop finding slimy strips of denim on the furniture. When Zero came home, he was still pretty drugged, and went right to sleep. I was anxious about not having any accidents, so when he came jingling into the bedroom the next morning, I jumped out of bed and began throwing clothes on. Then I looked at the clock. It was 2:00 a.m. That nice, calm dog didn't calm down for many more years.

That night there had been a blizzard, and it was Zero's first snow. He had no idea what to do, standing shoulder high in snow. Poor guy... what a way to housebreak.

Zero moved with us several times in those early years, and ended up taking things with a great deal of equinimity. We found that he has a deathly fear of balloons and smoke, but almost nothing else seems to phase him. He was curious about mirrors for about ten minutes. He never got over his curiousity of babies. One time we were babysitting a friend's newborn... Zero tried to keep his nose within a foot of her all day long.

One of his greatest, inexplicable loves is that of cats. Anytime he has encountered a cat, he has not picked up on the signs that the cat does not want him around. One of Zero's first and greatest cat friends was Rainbow. He would run in a large elipse around Rainbow. When he got close to her, she would stand on her hind legs and lash out at him with her claws. After several passes, he would slide to a stop in front of her, and she would immediately fall onto her back so that he could lick her stomach. When she was good and sopping wet, she would start clawing at him again. That would start him running in circles again. He would come home with welts on his nose, but he loved that cat.

Zero's first dog friend was Ulysses, an old, fat German Shepherd, who belonged to R's grandfather. They were fast friends, and Zero put a few years on that tired old dog. They would run and wrestle, but there was no denying that Uly was the one in charge. Whenever we would say Uly's name, Zero would begin prancing and whining for us to go. When Uly died, Zero looked for him for a while.

R's grandfather was a good replacement buddy, because he would throw sticks for Zero. Eventually, if we said the word "PaPa", the nickname for R's granddad, Zero would begin his happy prancing. When we went out of town, we would leave Zero there and he was spoiled. At PaPa's, Zero would summon him out of bed for a game of sticks at 5:30 a.m. After the game and some breakfast, the two of them would go back to bed. Oh, how Zero was spoiled.

Zero teethed for more than a year and a half. He ate the base board molding, a carpet, two arm chairs and I can't remember what else. We tried apple bitter spray, but he seemed to think it was a condiment.

He also had a cat mentality about climbing on furniture, when he could get to it. When we were stopped he would climb up onto the seat back balancing on all four feet. Someone mistook him for a large cat once.

For Zero's birthday, we started the tradition of having a dog dinner. Everyone had steak (okay, Zero had a little less glamorous part of the cow), and big tumblers of water. We all ate on the floor. I think that was when we started buying cakes for him from the dog bakery. Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled... but there was one dinner on the floor that we shared that was more for me than for him. It was the night that R was diagnosed with his second brain tumor. I'd just spent the whole evening in a hospital emergency room, and hadn't eaten dinner... neither had Zero. Needless to say, I was pretty depressed. I went across the street to Winsteads, and picked up a couple of hamburgers for Zero and me. I went back up to the apartment and the two of us ate dinner together on the floor in the dark. It was good to have somebody.

The first time R was diagnosed with a brain tumor was much more exciting. R had a seizure in the middle of the night. I couldn't get him to respond, so I called 9-1-1. The EMTs and a police officer showed up shortly. I was trying to hold Zero back, because he was trying to greet all of the new visitors. When I finally let him go he ran into the bedroom and jumped right on top of R's stomach, so he could be in full view of the EMTs who were surrounding R. It was probably nerves, but that just cracked me up, which prompted the police officer to start asking me questions about our activities. So we know that Zero isn't much help in emergencies.

After R died, Zero was a little puzzled. We moved the day that R died, which wasn't really enough to bother unflappable Zero. He'd lost friends before, but never anybody as permanent as R. I think he did miss him for a while. As it is, I am the only constant in his life.

Of course when we moved into the house he got his first yard, and his first dog door. Oh, joy... oh, freedom. Zero has always been independent minded, but the dog door really changed him. We had struggled in his puppyhood with the house breaking, until the one day we had come home to find that he had broken open the bathroom door and done his business in the shower. What a fantastic dog! Never had a problem since.

Anyway, I digress. With the dog door and Zero's advancing age, he became even more stubborn than ever. I've heard that dogs emulate their owners, and I must admit to having that unflattering trait myself. Zero is to this day as independent as ever, and I must say is much less tolerant of other dogs.

Speaking of which, I should mention Zero's love life. His first love was Maggie. The two of them would tear around our friend's house until she allowed him to catch her... if only briefly. She is a terrible tease. For many years she was his only love interest until someone introduced Rosie to the picture. Now, when the three of them are together. Zero and Maggie act like old chums, while Zero and Rosie are clearly in love.

Okay, I've babbled about my dog enough. It's funny how memories of slimy shreds of denim and half eaten arm chairs make me smile now.

I'm glad the weather is warming up.
I'm glad we might get a thunderstorm.
I'm glad I had a good night's sleep.

Someone sent this to me today...

IF DOGS WERE THE TEACHERS – This is some good advice!
If a dog was the teacher you would learn stuff like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.
Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout...
run right back and make friends.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

I love sleep. I love when my husband smiles. I love it when people think I'm ten years younger than I really am. I love chocolate pudding. I love having the house entirely to myself for an afternoon. I love how my stomach feels when I eat a whole lot of carrots. I love new pajamas.

I was up early this morning, because I had a sleep study last night. They woke me at 5:00 a.m., which didn't make me very glad; however I put on my clothes and stumbled out of the clinic to my car, which was in a parking lot surrounded on two sides by woods. It was dawn and the birds were singing. Lots of different types of birds were singing, some I'd never heard before. The morning was not too cold and the air was fresh. I was north of the city, so their weren't even buildings impeding my view of the sunrise. It's nice every once in a while to be up to appreciate the things we miss so often. -- Sheila

This past weekend we went to a mountain resort in Arkansas, where my husband was best man in his friend's wedding. We ended up getting set up in a very nice two bedroom condo with a deck overlooking the woods. Every morning and every night we sat in the jacuzzi. Every morning I did yoga on the deck. It was very pleasant.

We also made some new friends and caught up with some old friends. The wedding itself was nearly a disaster from beginning to end, but the good news for me was that I felt needed. I also got to know a couple of people who are completely uneffected by adversity, and who have great senses of humor.

I will not do the best story of the weekend justice, but I shall just let you imagine how a flat tire, two groomsmen after 7+ rounds of bourbon, two highly amused wives with a camera and a broken can of Fix-A-Flat could make for a great story.

We were talking today at the Meetup about things we were glad for. I told a story about how I had a disappointing and frustrating experience at the library. I am struggling to focus on the good things about it, like I learned how the computer system and holds system at the new library works. Also, the people were very friendly and helpful. And even though I did not get the book that I reserved, someone else has access to a very popular book, which they might have otherwise had to wait on me to get. And they probably need to read it more than I do anyway. Okay, it's getting a little easier. -- Sheila

I'm glad that I don't say everything I think of saying.
I'm glad that I've been so busy at work. It's nice to get things accomplished.
I'm glad that Battlestar Galactica season 2 starts this week.
I'm glad that my little dog makes such funny faces and noises. He just makes me laugh and laugh.
I'm glad that I've got so much laundry to fold, because it will give me lots to do until bedtime. I'm also glad that I've got ironing again. Ironing is hard work, and I love to stay up late ironing, just so I can enjoy the feeling of settling my tired back into my bed. No kidding. I've always been that way about manual labor... the harder, the better. I'm glad I'm such a little thing, that I can't make myself overdo it or I would.

Have a good night everyone. -- Sheila

First off, I want to reiterate what I said today about being glad to share my birthday with such wonderful, special people. I really was looking forward to today as my birthday treat. I was truly surprised that anyone even knew it was my birthday... and I love my prism. It's hanging in the kitchen now, where I fully intend to dance in the rainbows.

I also want to say that I am glad that my someone told me yesterday that I have beautiful skin. I mentioned it to my husband, who I am so very glad to have in my life. Today, we were at the store. As we walked out he asked me, "How old do you think that cashier was?" I had no idea why he was asking, but I guessed, "Um... nineteen?" He said, "and I compared her skin to yours and yours is just as good." I love that man.

I am glad that we have air conditioning.

Surprisingly, I am glad for my job this week, if only because it makes the rest of my life so much more enjoyable.

I am glad for kittens, even though I don't think I want one. They're just so cute to look at.

Have a wonderful day everyone. -- z