Bringing Baby Home

I owe it to you, my dutiful readers, to update you on our newest addition. After a few weeks of research and three trips to the Humane Society, the Atchley family now includes three. We found ourselves a sweet, three month old Cairn Terrier mix named Eddie. We'd been keeping an eye on the Lost and Found section of the Humane Society website, waiting for a dog to become available that fit our specifications. In the end, we got exactly what we wanted: a terrier (no shedding), a puppy, and a boy. The day he was put up for adoption, we had to arrive before the Humane Society opened because we knew he would be snatched up fast (as it is with all puppies at shelters). All I needed was to see him close up and I was in love. Zach waited until after the twenty minutes we were given to spend with Eddie to decide for sure, but I let him know I wasn't walking out of there without that puppy. What sealed it for me is that we had been discussing the name Edison for a smart dog (I had suggested Eddie for short); lo and behold, that is what the shelter named him. After a total of half an hour, we left the Humane Society with our little fur baby.

He was so calm on the way home. We were blown away by how calm he had been, even when we first walked up to him. All he wanted to do in the car was sleep. But as soon as we got home, the rigid house training schedule began.

I won't go into all the details, but I will say that a week later, he is almost completely trained. The few accidents he has had were my fault, but he has learned everything very quickly. He understood what "sit" meant the first two days, and by the third, he knew what "outside" meant. I was nervous about the first few nights, considering past experience with family dogs as puppies (who were not quiet at all for the first few weeks). But Eddie would astound us once again as we didn't hear a peep from him all night. Not the second, third, or any night following after.

I know everyone says their dog is the most amazing. And while Eddie still has a lot of learning to do, he has a lot of intelligence going for him. So much so that he's figured out how to get under the fence (and has done so a few times) and I'm sure he has plenty of devious schemes brewing. But my nurturing nature is quieted for now and kept pretty busy with this frisky guy. And I'm convinced we got a great dog.

Eddie, his first day home

My two loves

Buddha Dreaming

I wouldn't call myself a go-getter. In fact, I'm pretty much the opposite. I don't go dashing off into the wild blue yonder, chasing my dreams. Does that mean I have no dreams and am therefore stuffy and dull? Absolutely not! I still dream; I'm overflowing with them! The reason I lack the motivation to bulldoze the world in search of the fruition of my dreams is that I am content with my life. For now. I am enjoying the things within my grasp instead of going mental figuring out how to get what's beyond that grasp. It's not for everyone. Some people must go, go, GO to get everything they've ever wanted. And that's alright for them. Dreaming is natural and healthy. But if you're always diving toward that next thing, you may miss the opportunity to revel in the things immediately around you.

I notice two kinds of dreamers: the forward dreamer and the "Buddha" dreamer. The forward dreamer is always dashing for the next thing ahead, diving into frays and chaos to obtain what he is after. The "Buddha" dreamer still dreams, but while in a stationary position. He takes his time to enjoy, inspect, and reflect on his surroundings, prefer to keep a distance from turmoil. (I titled this the "Buddha" dreamer because the image that comes to mind is a seated, smiling, meditating figure in complete peace. I do not put any stock in the religion.)

I figure myself to be a "Buddha" dreamer, and I imagine this would also fit my fellow B personality types. (Not to exclude certain personalities, but one does seem to correspond with a particular kind of dreamer.) I'm not great at scheming or planning; I just do what comes naturally. And if that eventually means following my dreams, then I will do so with gusto. Once in a while, the opportunity for a dream of mine to be successful pops up and I take it. Or sometimes I do get tired of sitting and waiting, so I take the proactive approach. In the meantime, I keep busy with normal life (which can be busy enough in itself!)