November 17th, 2016
It's been a hectic week. My daughters were sick so there were doctor's appointments and the girls were not in school which means I got nothing done. Then I got sick. I had to move my Mommy Monologues around and postpone a few art therapy appointments in order to not contaminate my clients. I was feeling exhausted and stressed then this happened...
A friend's dog went missing. A large Akita named Raiden. I saw a Facebook post. They didn't know where he was but I felt pretty confident he would turn up, he's a big dog. I got busy and life went on then I saw another post. He was still missing. I started thinking they may not find him. After I put the girls on the bus, I told my husband I would go for a walk and look for Raiden. I know the mom of that family, a sweet, local yoga instructor and, her daughter is in my daughter's class. They are a great family and, that kid is just the sweetest girl ever. It broke my heart that she might lose her dog.
As I walked around our property looking for Raiden, it felt like I was just one person trying to help out. However, once I left my property and walked around the neighbourhood, I heard a man calling out for the dog in a nearby wooded area. I assumed he must be the dad. My heart went out to him. Now, there were two of us looking for the dog. I saw a lady driving slowly in my direction. I wondered if she had spotted the dog. I saw her put something in a mailbox. I thought she was delivering a newspaper or flyers. I kept walking. As I approached her car, she asked me if I wanted a flyer. It had Raiden's photo on it. I explained that I was also looking for him and had a milk bone in my pocket, just in case. She confessed to also having a milk bone in her pocket. We laughed and I grabbed a few flyers.
She had already driven through the community I was heading into so I turned around and walked back toward my house, intending to get in the car and drive in the opposite direction. I saw a man walking a dog. It was a big dog. I wondered if that was the man who had been calling Raiden's name and, if that was Raiden on his leash. I walked faster. As I neared them, I saw that this was another dog. However, the man saw the poster in my hands and we talked about where he had been and where I was going to go so we could plan out our next move. I gave him a poster. He had walked all over his five acre property and had checked neighbouring fields and barns. People gave him permission to inspect their barns and property in case the dog was resting there. I felt so proud to live in this community. The lady in the van caught up to us and the man pointed out some more barns that might be good hiding spots. He also told her the construction workers on the next street should get a poster because they were there all day, every day of the week. We parted ways, he walked north, back to his home. The van lady headed west to deliver more flyers and speak with the construction workers and, I walked south to return to my home. Just as I was about to reach my home, I saw someone else I recognized. She was driving around, looking for Raiden. I gave her a poster.
My husband and I drove to a nearby community for lunch. We took a detour to look for the dog. We each checked out our side of the car. I gave the waitress a copy of the poster and asked her to put it up in case someone recognized the dog. She was very responsive and took the flyer immediately. This morning, as soon as I got up, I checked Facebook and saw photos of the reunion. I was so excited for them! They had been out looking for him at night and found him stuck in the mud. The vet made a house call and checked on him. He was tired but otherwise ok.
This experience warmed my heart. All we hear about right now is Donald Trump, racism, riots, the revival of the kkk and gloomy predictions regarding the future of the USA. However, my direct experience out here in my neck of the woods showed me what an awesome community I live in. Where strangers come together to look for a missing dog. Where people care about each other, worry for someone else's pet and cheer heartily when the family is reunited. I am so happy to be in this community. You rock, Kemptville!
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Showing posts with label lost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lost. Show all posts
Thursday, 17 November 2016
Tuesday, 11 October 2016
The Lost Wardrobe
October 11th, 2016
Well, I think we all agree that Fall has come. The mornings are chilly and the evenings are just plain frigid. I am attending some training tomorrow. It's in Brockville and starts early in the morning so I decided to pull out my Winter wardrobe. I walked down to the basement. No tupperware boxes. I checked the barn, where I knew there was a black garbage bag full of tights, tops and dresses. Nothing.
My husband has been driving to the local charity, Lazarus House, throughout the Summer with bags of stuff. He has been de-cluttering his closet. We have donated piles of toys that our daughters have outgrown. However, I think he may have gotten over-zealous and grabbed stuff that wasn't meant for the donation bin, namely, My Entire Winter Wardrobe.
I told my husband that I seemed to be missing a season's worth of clothing. He scratched his head, swallowed and asked me where this "wardrobe" was stored. He came with me to double check the basement and the barn. He came to the same conclusion as I had a mere 10 minutes earlier. Yup, no clothing here.
So, here's the thing, I can just got to the store and get a few pairs of pants, a couple of sweaters and a handful of tights but, I don't buy a lot of clothing. I pick items I like and keep them for years. I am imagining various items that I loved to wear. My favourite colourful dresses, my funky tights, my cozy sweaters. It's sad, like a photo album burned up in a fire.
The other thing is I am chunkier than I used to be and some of those items were my motivation to lose the weight. I wanted to fit into the colourful pants, that tulip shaped skirt. Those were my measuring stick. Have I lost weight? Let me try on those pants. Nope, still too tight. I feel like I have lost a whole section of my identity. I know it's only clothing and people have real problems and this is NOT a serious problem but it feels like a loss.
I can go shopping but I want my old clothes back. The shirt with a tiny stain from my daughter's spit up. The dress I wore to my art therapy interview. The pants I bought in Montreal in that cool shop on St-Denis that smells of incense.
I guess it's time for a fresh start. A new wardrobe with new memories. Clothing that fit me the way I am now. It just struck me that it's ironic that it is my Winter wardrobe that has disappeared since I visualize every day that I go away with my family every year to a warm destination for the entire Winter. Perhaps the Universe is listening to my request and preparing me for our departure. If my life is about to change and I won't be around for the Winter then bring it on but it better happen soon because it's getting cold.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Well, I think we all agree that Fall has come. The mornings are chilly and the evenings are just plain frigid. I am attending some training tomorrow. It's in Brockville and starts early in the morning so I decided to pull out my Winter wardrobe. I walked down to the basement. No tupperware boxes. I checked the barn, where I knew there was a black garbage bag full of tights, tops and dresses. Nothing.
My husband has been driving to the local charity, Lazarus House, throughout the Summer with bags of stuff. He has been de-cluttering his closet. We have donated piles of toys that our daughters have outgrown. However, I think he may have gotten over-zealous and grabbed stuff that wasn't meant for the donation bin, namely, My Entire Winter Wardrobe.
I told my husband that I seemed to be missing a season's worth of clothing. He scratched his head, swallowed and asked me where this "wardrobe" was stored. He came with me to double check the basement and the barn. He came to the same conclusion as I had a mere 10 minutes earlier. Yup, no clothing here.
So, here's the thing, I can just got to the store and get a few pairs of pants, a couple of sweaters and a handful of tights but, I don't buy a lot of clothing. I pick items I like and keep them for years. I am imagining various items that I loved to wear. My favourite colourful dresses, my funky tights, my cozy sweaters. It's sad, like a photo album burned up in a fire.
The other thing is I am chunkier than I used to be and some of those items were my motivation to lose the weight. I wanted to fit into the colourful pants, that tulip shaped skirt. Those were my measuring stick. Have I lost weight? Let me try on those pants. Nope, still too tight. I feel like I have lost a whole section of my identity. I know it's only clothing and people have real problems and this is NOT a serious problem but it feels like a loss.
I can go shopping but I want my old clothes back. The shirt with a tiny stain from my daughter's spit up. The dress I wore to my art therapy interview. The pants I bought in Montreal in that cool shop on St-Denis that smells of incense.
I guess it's time for a fresh start. A new wardrobe with new memories. Clothing that fit me the way I am now. It just struck me that it's ironic that it is my Winter wardrobe that has disappeared since I visualize every day that I go away with my family every year to a warm destination for the entire Winter. Perhaps the Universe is listening to my request and preparing me for our departure. If my life is about to change and I won't be around for the Winter then bring it on but it better happen soon because it's getting cold.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
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