Mangy Dog Days

The other day I was driving through a neighborhood that happens to have a tiny side hill, canal and a few tree's. Not really much wider than a parking strip and a half.
So you can imagine the surprise when I stopped at the sign for a deer to bound past at a pretty good click, with a big dog hot on its heel's.
Being ever the observant one.
And knowing that where there is one, there is usually a hundred you don't see.
I pulled slowly around the corner, put my flashers on and crept down the street.
Car's zoomed past.
To fast to notice, or care about the scene or the lessons hidden in that little strip of tree's.

Being the deep thinker I am...

I knew if I were out there, with big dog problems, and I wasn't on the lamb.

I'd be hiding out.

Covering my tracks.

Trying not to let anything show.

But sometimes when you have a big problem, it's good to have a friend.

Someone to stand by your side.

Friends and family help us through all kinds and sizes of big dog troubles. It is good to know we can count on them. (And yes. It is true, that sometimes they are the ones we sometimes hide out from).

Time, stresses, big dog troubles, work, and just life in general, sometimes leave us feeling a little jumpy and frazzled.

So whether we lead follow or are just trying to get out of the way...

Sometimes we get trapped in the head lights of our on coming lives!!

We get overrun buy the hard parts of life and it can give us a case of the mange if we aren't careful!!

But like these deer, being largely passed by and unseen, life will go on. The things that are plaguing us now, like a fast hound hot on our heel's, will eventually start getting boared and start trippin on its lolling tongue and stop.

The tree's will fill in to give better cover, or we will be moving to higher, safer ground.

And while it's true there will be different dangers, struggles and beasties there, rest assured that you have friends and  family that have and will stick by you through even the mangy day's.

ps Don't go thinking that just because the big dog is chasing just one of us that it doesn't effect all of us in different ways.

What size dog scares me, might not faze you and what I think is ok, may be the farthest thing from ok for you...so lets try to be gentle with each other today-and everyday.

 

Red Shoes

Sometimes I wear red shoes.

Sometimes I just like to do that.

They make me feel...happy.

She had been struggling with the weight of the world balanced squarely on her shoulders.
Oh no, it wasn't the first time, nor was it likely to be the last. She knew that fact all to well.
As she headed into the shoe shop that fell in the middle of the newly refurbished "antique" district of town, her mind raced back over time to the first time she came to this little shop.

It was back when people dressed to go up town, would stop to visit on the streets and in the shops. She remembered skipping along in her well worn blue sneakers, feeling a bit sad they were getting to well worn and would be graduating to everyday shoes now, instead of school shoes only.
Entering the shop beside her mother, the sales girl met them at the door to help, its just how things were done back then.
While her mother looked around for other things she recalled being able to, look but don't touch. So with her tiny hands clasped firmly behind her back along the rows of shoes she began.
Half way down the row of shoes, just her size, she froze in her track's, there before her was the most beautiful shoes she had ever in her whole little life seen! She stood guard over the find until she was joined by her mother.
"Look! Awen't they the most beautiful shoes you have eveow seen in yo whole life?!" She brightly asked without looking directly at her mother's face.
"They are, very nice shoes dear, but today we came to buy new school shoes." Was her direct by not stern tone.
Obediently she followed her mother to the row of sneaker's to make sure to get the right size. Her lower lip jutting out as far as she could muster.
After finding the right pair of red sneaker's, (not at all the beautiful pair!), her mother sent her to the counter with the old pair in the little box in her hands, to wait while mother picked up a few pair of sock's for the boy's. 
Eye's brimming with the tears of a little breaking heart she waited, through the entire remainder of the purchase, not trusting her voice, she tried to remain stoic until her mother asked her to help carry the packages.  
Handing her two boxes, wrapped in brown paper and tied together with the white string that would be kept and used for something else later on. Her tiny heart skipped a beat as her mother whispered to her on the way out of the shop...
"I think every girl should have some beautiful red shoes. Don't you? They just seem to make us happy!"
She had fairly danced home to the tip-tap of her mother's own beautiful pair of fancy red go to town shoes.

Pushing the old door open to the sound of the little bell that still rang the same, met at the door by a different young sales girl asking if she could help her find something, she smiled, "Yes thank you. I'm looking for a beautiful, happy, pair of red shoes today."
A bright smile lighting her young features she replied, "I have just the thing. Follow me please." As the tip-tap of her own red shoes clicked happily across the worn wooden floor.