Leaving the world a little better than I found it by sharing my passions and dreams, what inspires me,
and maybe you too, and furthering the discussion about how we can listen to our better angels.
A friend of mine emailed the cartoon below to me earlier today with the subject line warning "Be Very Careful" and I though "huh?" until I clicked on the link and saw the picture below.
After reviewing it, I can say with absolute certainty that Betsey and Ross ARE trying to kill me. I know, those of you who have met them are thinking, "But they're so sweet! Ross just wants to be loved and Betsey just wants to be left alone." And to you, I can only say, "SUCKERS!" Sure, they look innocent and sweet. But let me tell you that they do all the behaviors outlined below and even some that aren't. Betsey, for example, starts out purring and sleeping with her little head on my shoulder. After about 30 minutes, her entire body is laying on my shoulder and leaning against my neck. It's clear she's waiting to cut off my air supply by squeezing her tail around my neck. While Betsey is waiting to choke me, Ross is snoring away and has handcuffed my wrist and hand to the bed with his fat body rendering me unable to free myself from Betsey's tightening grip.
Before going any further, I must give credit where credit is due. This cartoon was originally drawn by Matthew Inman and appeared here. I'm using the picture below rather than the original because I could get this one in one image.
Earlier today I wrote about how I am feeling overwhelmed. In the process of writing that post, I flipped over and read Kittens Farting Rainbows, a new favorite blog, and couldn't believe my eyes as Bergsie put many of my exact feelings into words. But she ended her post in a postive way, which I couldn't figure out how to accomplish. She ended with the things she knows. And I thought that might be the perfect cure for what ails me today.
Without further ado and in no particular order, here is partial list of the what I know for sure.
I know that Betsey and Ross are always eager to snuggle with me when I'm feeling down. They're not fair weather cats.
I know for certain that true love is out there. I haven't found it yet, but it's there somewhere. I just have to keep looking and being hopeful.
I can always count on my friends' Tweets to make me giggle.
I know that my purpose is greater than just being someone's daughter or sister or caregiver.
I know that there's some music that makes me dance and lifts me up and there's some music that makes me sad and cry. I have to stay away from the latter.
I know that I have the capacity to be a great mom. Whether that's in the cards for me or not, I'm not so sure. If it's not, I have to find a way to channel those energies.
I know that hard wood floors beat carpet any day.
I know my failings only too well and work everyday to overcome them.
Sometimes I stumble, but the only way I can recover is to get back up and dust off my knees. There's simply no other choice.
I know that when God closes a door, he always opens another one. My job is to find that door because sometimes it's hidden.
I know that most of what happens, the good and the bad, is what I choose, whether consciously or not. I am in control of my life and I can change what I don't like.
I know that every situation presents me with opportunities to learn and grow and be better.
I know that I'll keep being presented with the same lessons over and over again until I learn them.
I know that second chances don't come around very often and when they do, I have to explore them. I don't often get to find out the answer to the question "What if . . . ", but every time I've gotten to find out, it's been well worth it.
I know that the Cubs are bound to win the World Series . . . one of these years.
Stories like this truly warm my heart. It's no secret that times are tough and sometimes we forget that some people don't have enough money to feed their pets. Sure it's easy to say "well, just give Fido away" UNLESS you've ever had a beloved pet. I'm telling you right now that I'd personally go without a few meals a month before letting Betsey and Ross starve or giving them away. Pets are calming and soothing. They love us unconditionally. Ross gives massages when I have migraines (really). They are good company. Dogs give their owners good exercise when they have to be walked (the dogs have to be walked, not the owners).
When his health-care consulting business dried up, George Olsen applied for the state's food stamp program, but didn't count on the difficulty in feeding Oliver and Gracie.
State aid doesn't cover food for his two golden retrievers, cherished family members for Olsen, of Vernon Hills.
After learning of his plight, dog trainer Cathie Sabin provided him with a 20-pound bag of dog food for free, and then was motivated to take it a step further by opening the Pooch Pantry in Mundelein.
"That animal in itself gives them comfort, gives them unconditional love," said Sabin, who hopes to keep her pantry stocked with dog and cat food, treats, used collars, and other supplies.
The food bank for pets, run out of Sabin's B.C. Dog Training Club, opened almost a month ago and is accepting dog and cat food donations, which it distributes at no cost to people suffering a financial crisis. With little publicity, she has handed out 12 to 15 bags of food every Saturday morning, mostly to senior citizens on fixed incomes, and expects the numbers to grow as word spreads.
Woodland Primary School in Gurnee has started collecting pet food to donate to the pantry.
There are several pet food pantries in Chicago, including a "foreclosure program" at PAWS, which has doled out 2,100 pounds of cat food and 2,240 pounds of dog food to needy families since September, a spokeswoman said. PAWS also offers foster care, pet food and emergency medical care and has about 40 people on its current recipient list.
Sabin believes her Pooch Pantry to be among the first in Lake County—reflecting a growing need during the economic downturn.
Nationally, animal shelters have reported rising numbers of people who are giving up their pets, skipping veterinarian visits and buying cheaper pet food. The evidence is largely anecdotal, but there's no doubt among advocates in the field.
"I think we are going to see more of these kinds of things if the economy doesn't turn around," said Steve Dale, a nationally syndicated pet care journalist.
Pet pantries have become a necessity in some areas, Dale said. "People are just opening their doors, letting [pets] out, or in some cases leaving them in foreclosed homes," Dale said.
Other owners, he said, are trimming their budgets and agonizing over how to keep their pets.
At Save-A-Pet in Grayslake, executive director Frank Corbi said he has seen about a 20 percent increase since last year in people relinquishing their cats or dogs.
Corbi described a man who had to return a pet because "he was literally living out of his truck."
Afterward, "he went outside and actually fell on his knees and cried," Corbi said. "I will never forget that."
At PAWS Chicago, the pet food bank is available only by appointment, said spokeswoman Susan Robinson. Most who need help are in foreclosure or unemployed, and their stories are heartbreaking, she said.
"We have had a couple of people whose animals have had a medical crisis," she said. "Now they can't afford" to feed them.
The hope, she said, is to try to help people for three to six months, with the understanding that they are trying to get back on their feet.
Sabin delivers a similar message. On a recent weekend, she explained to several people who dropped by her Mundelein pantry for food that she would do her best to help, but added a caveat.
Sabin also runs a non-profit dog rescue education group, and she talks to each pet food donor about the organization's mission and goals, allowing contributions to be tax-deductible.
Mary York, 57, of Round Lake Park, stopped by the Pooch Pantry to pick up some dog and cat food. She lives alone, if you don't count her Dalmatian mix, Oreo, 10; a beagle mix, Barley, 8; and a 9-year-old cat named Morris.
York, who is on a fixed income and has health problems, also has been trying to find a home for two strays a neighbor left with her.
"I have a full house," she said with a sigh. "They're my family. They are alarm clocks and everything else."
Another visitor to the pantry was Linda Plier of Waukegan, who donated food.
"People shouldn't be without their best friends," said Plier, who no longer has a pet of her own but appreciates their companionship. "I am lucky enough to still have a job."
Before he was referred to Sabin, Olsen, 60, said he was surprised to find so little help available for struggling pet owners in the suburbs. He figured he called 20 places as he tries to get his family through a tight spot after his consulting business soured.
"The thing that was disappointing and irritating to me is that when I called a few of the pet stores . . . their response was, 'No we don't do that. Maybe you should consider giving your pet up.' "
That would be a last resort, said Olsen, who hopes he can reciprocate the kindness shown him and help other pet owners.
"This is such an important piece of people's lives," he said.
My local paper, The Daily Herald, has an article today about good pets to give this Christmas. They consider these pets "good pets" because they are cheap. Now I like to save money as much as anyone - I proudly clip coupons and always check local gas prices before heading out to fill up - but this just seems wrong on quite a few levels.
The Daily Herald suggests pets such as a Scorpion ($25), Bearded Dragon ($50), Tarantula, Ferret ($50-150), Sun Conure bird ($50-500), Hedgehog ($150), Chinchilla ($170), or Rat ($8). Yep, you read that correctly. The Daily Herald suggests you give your kid a Rat for Christmas.
According to the article, Eric Hall of Pets Inc. in Naperville, Ill. says that Rats "can become part of the family. They are a lot of fun." Really? How?
Are things that bad that we really need to give our kids Rats? Frankly, $8 seems like price gouging to me. Just walk down any alley in a big city and you can find Rats for free.
Rats may be cheap pets now, but when added to the therapy bills you will be stuck with for the next 50 years after traumatizing your child, I think giving your kid a Rat is just a bad idea.
Betsey and Ross, looking sweet and innocent.
