Bumps in the Road

It’s hard not to let life’s challenges get in the way of our dreams. We constantly let road blocks keep us from achieving what we really want for ourselves. This is true with big goals and small goals. You have to stay true to yourself, don't let your dreams fall to the wayside. Work towards those goals no matter what life puts in front of you and no matter what other people say. Success is sometimes not giving up.

Denial? by Lori Sash-Gail

Denial is my best friend. When I was thirty-five years old, my father gave me the shock of my life: “You were always too tall to be a dancer.” I had danced for ten years, never suspecting!
When Edna asked me to train her toy poodle, Chablis, to become a pet therapy dog, I had my doubts. Chablis clung to Edna’s lap, shook when keys dropped, and shied away from people. How would she become accustomed to wheelchairs, walkers, banging, bumping, and rough petting. But I could never formulate the words “not suitable”. Instead, I sunk my head deeply into the sand. Seven months later, Chablis became a certified therapy dog.
I’m now training her sister. Chardonnay assumes the frozen-rabbit response to terrors such as laughter. I decided that she could take Chablis’s place in an ad. All Chardonnay had to do was let the model hold her. She behaved like a cross between a wild bird and an unhappy cat getting a bath. arms and legs extended straight out, screeching. Eventually, they got the shot, and by then I was the one who needed a shot. The assistant christened me the “poodle whisperer.” I never wanted to hear the word “poodle” whispered again.
With denial stronger then ever and now eight years out of shape, I still attend dance class. A question greets me: Could I do a doggie modern dance with my new, untrained dog for their concert?
“Sure,” I frothed at the mouth. “I’d love too!” (They said I was too tall for their other dances. Who told them?)

Copy Write: Dog People Do It Better by Theresa Mancuso, 2005