that's just me

I'm going to a work conference in May that will be attended by people from all over the world who work for my company (as well as our parent company).  As part of the prep for this conference, we have to complete a profile that will be posted in an e-team room so that your fellow attendees can get a sense of who you are before they get there.  The profile is supposed to be more personal and fun than about who you are at work...in fact many of the questions you are asked to answer specify that your reply should not be about work (i.e proudest accomplishment).

I love these kinds of exercises because they can force you to think about aspects of your life that you have not really contemplated before.  I found out a few things about myself, such as when it came down to who was my role model and mentor...in life, not just in work.....I had one very simple answer...my Dad.  What is my go-to-song to make me happy?  For better or worse, it's Breathe by Michelle Branch...everytime.  And I found out something else too.

Because I work for a pet industry company and the profile was supposed to be about me, not my work, I tried to leave out references to pets.  And found it to be impossible.  My favourite sound...Elora purring.  One of my proudest accomplishments....running a full agility course with Sophie.  Best advice I've ever been given....follow your heart and you will find true joy....advice I "got" from Sophie.  I simply could not fill out a profile about me without including Sophie and Elora...because they are part of who I am ....a big part.  It' s funny to think that just shy of a decade ago, I had never owned a dog or cat in my life....and now, I can't imagine a life without them.  Elora is not just my cat, but my touchstone...and Sophie is not just my dog, by my muse, my compass...my true north.  If you want to know me....you almost have to start with them....and I think that's a wonderful and amazing thing.  But that's just me.

a perfect day - happy birthday, sophie

Sophie will be five tomorrow.  Wow...five. And as much as I am "into" dogs....I have never celebrated her birthday other than a blog post or a shout out on facebook.  No party, no presents, no cake.  It's just never seemed to be mine...or Sophie's...thing.  But something has shifted this year...maybe it's because she is getting older...or because I am.

This year, I bought her some "birthday" presents...a toy, a treat, a "happy birthday" dog cookie.. But more importantly I plan to give her this "great day" tomorrow...a day full of long, off leash walks on the trails; and some crazy play time; and indulgent meals and treats; and a whole day just being together. And maybe, I realize, it's not that either of us is getting older...maybe it's that I read Jon Katz's book: Going Home. Finding Peace When Pets Die.  A wonderfully written and excellent book, that I would recommend to any pet owner, that talks, in one chapter, about giving that beloved pet a "perfect day" before they go. Maybe I wished that I could make every day in our life together perfect for Sophie. But since I can't, given all the other demands in life...work, family, friends...the least I can do is give her that "perfect day" once a year in celebration of her birth, rather than just at the end of her life.  In celebration of a day that would forever change me -- a day that would make me better, that would make me whole...by bringing this little being into my life.  And the funny thing is....I have this strong suspicion...that it won't just be her perfect day...it will be mine as well.  Happy Birthday, my Sophie...my love for you is the purest thing I have ever known....and a pefect day, once a year, is the very least I can give you in return.