Went walking with Bailey (my dog of 7 years). Mike and I got her after we moved into our house and after he was diagnosed. Twofold; primarily because we both wanted a pet but also we thought a dog would be great company for Mike and a great motivator for him. When we got Bay she was just a pup and he was unable to work due to treatments and side-effects of brain cancer. So puppy training definitely gave him a bit of a boost...not sure if one could necessarily say a confidence boost because puppies definitely do what they want and have an alpha they look to. Unfortunately Mike wasn't the alpha in the house that she listened to and this infuriated him even further. But none the less, taking care of her gave him a reason to get out of bed each morning when I was at work. He had something to take care of, clean-up after :) ...walk (or chase rather) when she ran away from him. I would get calls sometimes at work from him, "It's a good thing I love you. That dog ran away again today and I had to run two streets over to get her and if I didn't love you...." Ha! You get the drift. I can go on and on about Bailey stories. How good she was when Mike was sick and home dying. And how she was my buddy when I felt so alone after his death, and still she's my faithful companion. Walking is our thing. I used to walk and walk a great deal after Mike died. Gave me time to think, listen to music and just get out for a bit. I still go out walking now any opportunity I get.
Tonight was a neat experience. I was walking down a side street and saw an elderly man sitting on the porch (suspenders and newsboy cap, so classic ). I said "hi" and waved and he waved and I saw him trying to do something with his lips. I took my headphones off and he told me he was trying to whistle to get my dog's attention but he wasn't able to whistle anymore. I figured he was probably pretty comfortable with dogs so I walked up and met he and his wife. She told me she was Thelma and he is John, she said not "Thelma and Louise". (Great sense of humor. I liked her already). I stayed and talked with them for a bit and found out they are in their 90's, have a great-grand kid on the way and all sorts of other wonderful things. What I mostly learned from talking to Thelma and John is they just wanted somebody to talk to, somebody to stop and listen, and somebody to acknowledge their presence by waving, or saying hi and not ignoring them. They asked if I would stop by again and talk to them. When I was heading home this left me with much to think about; perhaps I can be more aware as I am going about my day to the "Thelma and Johns" that I pass, rather if I am walking, driving or in the store. Perhaps if maybe I just took the time to wave or say "hi", it could make a difference.
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