Be the Amazing Person You Are

One of the things about dog showing is that a lot of travel is involved. Usually travel with a vehicle full of dogs. (well...yeah!) Once or twice a year we hear about a judge or a handler or an exhibitor who had a heart attack while driving. Sometimes there's a wreck or some other catastrophe. But really, considering the vans full of dogs, the number of catastrophes is really pretty minimal. So when something happens, it hits us all hard.

 In September, a pro handler I know was in a tragic accident. He wasn't traveling for a show, only he and his wife were in the car. His wife was killed and he was paralyzed, with only slight movement remaining in his hands.

 He'll never be able to pursue his passion again. And believe me, handlers who are as successful and he, and who make it their life do so out of passion for dogs. He didn't get to say goodbye to his wife, and he can't hold his grandchildren. He's now in rehab and in the photos his family shares, he's smiling. He's off the respirator and is now setting goals. He doesn't want to be a burden to his friends and family. He wants to go places. (there's a Go Fund Me for a van for his family to transport him)

He wants to go to a coffee shop and order his own coffee, and he wants to go to dog shows again. There's footage of him with his new service dog...not a Golden Retriever (his breed) but a quiet, calm Saluki who is learning to negotiate the electric wheelchair with her new owner. He's posting on Facebook. He's moving forward into a new reality. My guess is we'll see him again in the ring, if not handling from his chair, then as a judge, and most certainly as a mentor to many. He'll be smiling because he's truly that kind of man.

 Life tosses some truly awful stuff our way sometimes. I stress about writer's block and low sales and my messy house. I want to slam my computer shut every time I read of some new idiocy in the online world. But this year, Mom is still aging, but she's not hallucinating or in the ER constantly. My daughters are doing well and living good lives. While my day job keeps me tied to the house, I can write and create as I wish. Right now, I'm in a warm, quiet living room with five dogs sleeping soundly and all is good in my world.

  It's not perfect and not what I envisioned it would be. I didn't think my life's journey would make me a caregiver instead of a history teacher. I also didn't believe I'd be a writer. Or have some of the amazing friends I have, or that I'd go to Hong Kong for a movie premiere or see the start of the Iditarod from inside the chute. Live can surprise you that way.

 Learn what's important in life. Turn off the TV and close the computer. Talk to a stranger. Listen to the world around you. If someone needs help and you can do something, however small, give them a hand. Get out of your head and set aside the shit that's occupying your brain.

 Today, amaze yourself.
 Then tomorrow, do it again.

Je Suis Paris

The object of terrorism is to strike fear into the hearts of the people, and to sow discord among our leaders. The objective is to cripple the populace and in turn, damage the economy, and the very culture.  In years past, it was the last chance weapon of the powerless, but has now devolved to become a tool of the unhinged. Today's technology serves to put catastrophic power into the hands of a few individuals. Whether they are building pressure cooker bombs, shooting crowds in movie theatres or bombing a government building, they have the same objective: to inflict maximum damage and to demoralize on a large scale. The only way to defeat the purpose of these faceless people is to not bow down to the fear they seek to sow.

In the winter of 2002, I got on a plane and flew to JFK with my dog Logan. We were going to the Westminster Kennel Club Dogshow. When I flew, the plane was nearly empty. When we landed, portions of the airport seemed abandoned. I remember that my mother was horrified that I'd take such a risk, and my friend Kazu just shook his head when I explained that I refused to be afraid.

Walking through Manhattan with my dog, I could see pain and despair in the eyes of New Yorkers. They made eye contact with strangers, and even the most strident store-keepers were subdued. More than one person took the opportunity to pet and cuddle Logan, who was a licensed therapy dog. At the show, one woman sat with him and melted into tears, her face buried in his neck. After a good, hard cry, she got up, wiped her eyes and left without a word. She was courageous in her grief. 

We visited Ground Zero, and in spite of the crowds filing in to pay their respects, the site was deafeningly silent.  It was one of the more powerful places I've ever been in my life.

I was raised in a Mormon family and there's been a lot of talk about this being the Last Days. I do not believe that. I do not believe in fate and I do not believe in living without hope. I do not believe in letting fear rule my life. After all, simply being born brings myriad hazards with it. Every time we take a step out our doors, we run all sorts of risks. And if we let fear have its way, they've won. 

We live in frightening times, and I don't know what the answers are. I do know that our world leaders are failing on a monumental basis. I know that a radical change will have to come over the world of the future. More violence? Hunting down and killing terrorist leaders? My initial thought was that its time to resurrect Madame Guillotine and Iron Masks. 

But no.

Perhaps we should be force feeding IS members anti-psychotic drugs and broadcast episodes of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood into their households. Heck, medical marijuana might be the answer. I don't know. I don't know. 

But look up at the image at the beginning of the article. She's the symbol of the French Revolution, which might have been one of the single most bloody, horrific episodes in history, but from that revolution, American revolutionaries drew inspiration.

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. 

When we needed them, the French were there for us.  Now we are there for them. This is not the time for fear. This is not the time for politics. In fact, I wish all the candidates and talking heads would just go crawl into their respective holes and shut their mouths. But they won't. They'll politicize the event and try to gain traction and sow fear in order to rise in the polls. Which in its way is a form of terrorism. But I digress.

Je Suis Paris.

I am Paris. And tonight, my heart aches 

So Let's Talk Inspirational--The Great Alone Review

(Oh no, not another Lance Mackey post...)

There's been a lot of discussion about what makes a book or movie or song "Inspirational." To me, it has little to do with religion, but more with the uplifting nature of the work. I recently saw the award winning film The Great Alone, which is about the life of musher Lance Mackey. It's billed as a sports documentary, but is so, so much more.

This movie totally hits the mark for defining Inspirational. Lance was born to a legendary racing family in Alaska. After his parents split, he became mired in substance abuse by the age of nine. That's right...nine. He pulled himself from that hole, straightened out his life and decided to follow the family tradition of sled racing and eventually entered the Iditarod.

And then the cancer came.

The story of his life is inspirational. Lance entered the race again, while he was still being treated for throat cancer. He scratched when the contents of  his feeding tube kept freezing. Yes, he ran 500 miles of a thousand mile race while on a feeding tube.

Eventually, he went on to win the Iditarod. Then he won it again. And again. And again.
He also won the Yukon Quest 4 times, garnering awards for the excellent care of his animals and for having the most valuable team on the trail. He was given the title of "World's Toughest Athlete." Its unlikely that some of his accomplishments will ever be repeated.

He's battered, scarred and torn apart from the cancer and the subsequent treatment. He lost his salivary glands and eventually his teeth. His voice is gravelly. The bones in his jaw eroded. He had a finger amputated because of unrelenting nerve pain. His eyes are often reddened from the medical marijuana he uses to ease his pain. He can't use that when he races. But he still races.

He can't raise his arm over his head, because it might put enough stress on his jugular to tear the artery.

He has Reynaud's Syndrome, which causes his extremities to lose circulation and freeze easily.

And he's never given up. Never quit. When someone tells him he can't do something, Lance says, "Watch. This."
In all the years he's run those major races, he's never had a major corporate sponsor. He's funded by small businesses, friends and fans.

And the driving force in his life is the well being of his dogs. You wonder why I idolize this guy?
There's a reason that "Superman Wears Lance Mackey Pajamas."

This movie is what inspirational storytelling is all about. There's no mention of God or religion in this film, just a man, a second chance and a love of nature, mushing and his dogs. This is a man who's faced impossible challenges again and again, and prevailed. Lance is perfectly imperfect. He screws up, falls down and gets back on his feet. He knows the meaning of his life. How many of us can say the same?

The Great Alone is a tour de force directed by Greg Kohs. It's shot in a remote, hostile environment. The cinematography is exquisite. The soundtrack is gripping and ethereal. The story-telling is seamless. This is a story about a man, a race, his family and his dogs. In Lance's words: Watch this. 

The Great Alone is currently on the festival circuit, and will go into general release in 2016. See their  Facebook Page for screenings and guest appearances by Lance, his dog Amp and various guests. 

Official Trailer: The Great Alone

Livestrong Video: Lance

What Doesn't Kill You

This was my week for a pity party.

I freely admit that on occasion, I indulge in the very annoying habit of feeling sorry for myself. We're in the middle of one of those rare times in life when the stars align, and all hell breaks loose.

Since I generally try to be upbeat when I blog, I won't go into explicit detail, but suffice it to say, I have a sister who is gravely ill and hopping in and out of rehab, another sister who was severely injured last week, and we're still grappling with the great accidental foreclosure debacle. Suffice it to say, the stress level is high lately.

I try to alleviate stress by reading. When I should be shuttling the endless loads of laundry or weedeating the back acre, I'm sitting with my Nook, alternately hating what I'm reading, or wallowing with envy. Right now, I'm reading Crossing Borders by ZA Maxfield and wallowing in envy. (Good thing I like you so much Zam!) Why can't my characters talk like that? Why can't they step off the page in vivid, colorful life? Whaaaah!

There, I just had my moment of pity.

Yeah, things are rough, but they're good too. My kids are doing well, Amanda is moving from Venice to Monte Carlo as we speak. I've got a lunch date with Mia, and she's asking for advice on her new puppy. Just when I thought my writing would come to a grinding halt, it's actually coming through with relative ease.

Maybe it's because of my age, or maybe it's because I've lived through harrowing times, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. In time, things will turn around and get better. I still remember when I was 23 and had two little babies. I left my husband, discovered that my parents were splitting at the same time. I moved in with my mother, and within a year, she lost her house and car because she was disabled, and my father refused to pay court ordered alimony. We were dirt poor, scrambling for change in the couch cushions and pawning wedding rings for milk. My grandpa died, my dog got hit by a car, and to cap it all, I developed a bleeding ulcer and nearly died. Twice. (Go toward the light, Belinda...!)

Those tough times eventually passed and true to the old adage, it didn't kill us, but it did make us stronger. I pushed my way through college and my mother learned self-sufficiency that she'd never have considered while married to an overbearing man. In the years that followed, wonderful things happened in our lives. If I hadn't had the bad experiences, I would never have learned to cherish the good in life. If I hadn't had to survive, I would never have developed the faith in myself that allows me to sit before a blank page and visualize writing thousands and thousands of words...without fear.

So when things are tough, remember that they will get better. Take the experience, hold it close and learn from it. Once you've taken the good, let go of the rest. The next time the roof collapses or every appliance in the house breaks down, you'll be able to take a deep breath and know that not only will you survive, you'll grow.