Braille is Beautiful

I love jewelery and one of my favorites pieces is my Abc Braille Bracelet . Braille is beautiful both as jewelery and more importantly as a tool in labeling and reading. At this point, I use it mainly in labeling and as a fun jewelery accessory. I admire those that can read it fluently and hope to continue to improve my skills.

Monday with Missy

Our sweet pug. Love this girl. She seems content inspite of hearing loss, vision loss, & lupus. She didn't want to go out the doggie door this morning - not sure if she was having a difficult time seeing it or like me, didn't want to face a snowy Monday. This picture is Missy in true form: just hanging loose with contentment - if someone were to walk in to the room her tail would begin to swing back and forth. Life is good.

Hug, Shake or None?

If you've been around Cricket, you know she lets you know when she'd like to shake your hand. She puts her paw up and nudges at you if needed. It is a pretty cute gesture. I have experienced multiple times when someone has tried to put their hand out to shake mine and I've missed the mark. If someone is with me, they can nudge my elbow so I know to stick my hand out or at times after a short time the person will reach out and grab my hand. Sometimes I put my hand out first to alleviate the question. Today in church meeting a new lady we were chatting away and she asked about my blindness -- oh, that's why you didn't shake my hand when I put it out.
Sometimes I want to give a hug and wonder if a visual cue would help. I often find myself asking when I feel like I want to give a hug ..are you okay if I give you a hug?
Cricket, of course, is always eager for a hug or shake.

Courage

This morning in yoga as each time we are invited to set an intention for our practice for the day. The word that came to my mind was 'courage'. New class alone, many people coming up to me, trying to remember names perhaps why this intention came to mind. Courage to be there. Later had a very challenging case at work (lesson avoid working on Saturdays). Courage to make a difficult phone call to an agency. At home began setting up Christmas decor. Many things in different places = banged head and I knocked off my Angel of Courage doll. It broke. It came from a special friend when I needed to be cheered on and encouraged to have courage. I feel calmness and courage and love for you, Kathy.
Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying I will try again tomorrow.

Happy Weekend

Love a nice Autumn day, and two beautiful labs, and a sweet husband walking with us and stopping to play in the leaves.

Cricket 'saving marriages'

Yes, I did just have a couple tell me that their session went so much better this week because Cricket was here! You may recall my post two weeks ago when I gave her a personal day - she was missed deeply by all my clients that day (and ME!) Perhaps this says something about the value of listening and unconditional acceptance in therapy?

44 going on 5

As I'm approaching 45 there are some similarities to being 5 again. Perhaps because I am missing a tooth - I asked the dentist if he could give it to me to put under my pillow, he just laughed. (fortunately its not directly in the front as I am waiting get a new implant). I walked back to my office singing All I Want for Christmas is my toooooth. I keep running my tongue around the hole - remember that feeling?

I like to skip, do cartwheels, backbends (last night in yoga :D), and put mud (mask) on my face once a month. Makes me think of my tumbling class when I was five and my mom had to promise she wouldn't leave - she'd watch me all class. I had a cat named bend and stretch when I was five. Last night in yoga we did our salutations that were a lot of bend and stretching. Steve saw me last night at yoga and said I was bending and stretching so good :D.

At five, my teacher and mom played along with my claim that I was allergic to milk and so I brought chocolate powder to put in my milk! Still today I would prefer a nice tall hot chocolate from Starbucks over milk.

Life is pretty simple at five. In many ways, simplicity is what I enjoy at age 44. I loved people telling me good job at age 5 and still love comments and cheering on at age 44. My supervisor at the agency recently told me, it is nice to give you compliments because you accept them. Ahhhh, thank you!