JUST BETWEEN US: OCTOBER IS SENIOR DOG RESCUE MONTH

I honestly believe that we are rescuer and rescuee, all rolled into one.

New lyrics for an old song:

"Do You See That Doggie in the Shelter"

"Do you see that doggie in the shelter

the one with the take me home eyes

If you give him your love and attention

he will be your best friend for life."

In each town and city across the nation,

there's so many dogs with no home

Hungry with no one to protect them

lost in this world all alone

(repeat chorus)

Collies and beagles by the roadside

puppies and dogs in the street

Once they are rescued by a shelter

they'll finally get something to eat

Doggies and kitties who are homeless

with sad eyes and tails hanging down

Let's do what we can to show them kindness

and let them know that they've been found.

(repeat chorus)

HI!...MY NAME IS MATILDA AND I'M NEW TO WRIGHTS LANE

Hello everybody.  They have named me "Matilda" and it sounds good to me.  Mr. Wright (I'm going to call him"Poppa" after this) adopted me today and boy, has it been some kind of a day.  Poppa likes the name Matilda too, so Matilda it is going to be.  For some strange reason Poppa keeps singing a song "Waltzing Matilda..." that I really do not understand, but it seems to make him happy.  My doggy instinct tells me that he needs a lot of being happy and I'm just the girl to deliver big bunches of that.

I also caught him calling me "Lucy" a couple of times.  I don't know what that's all about but I guess he has some adjustments to make too.

First, a little bit about me.  I was rescued a few weeks ago by some kind people.  They called me a "stray", whatever that means.  All I know is that I was not feeling very good, lost and scared.  It is a long story that I would rather forget.

The vet told Poppa that I am a Pug-Jack Russel mix, which was news to me...Up to now, I just thought that I was a dog.  They also estimate that I am about five years old and 15 pounds, but I don't know much about that either.  What do dogs know about "years" and "pounds" anyway!

Poppa was apparently driving passed the Southampton veterinarian hospital today when he saw a roadside sign "cats and small dog for adoption".  He apparently did a sudden U-turn and the rest is history. Long story short, we took one look at each other and it was love at first site. I just knew that if I was a good girl I would be going home with this strange, jolly man, white beard an all.

Twenty minutes, papers signed and many pats and kisses later, I jumped into his truck and we headed up the highway to my new forever home.

We went for a long walk just to get familiar with the neighborhood on Grey Street North.  It was fun to feel free and to sniff the telephone poles which I forgot existed. I saw a black squirrel...and barked at it, just to announce my presence...that felt good too.

I have only been inside my new house for a few hours now but I have explored every room and tested out the chairs, chesterfields and beds for my liking.  It will take a while to decide which will be my favorite spot for a nap, speaking of which, I think that I am ready to grab a few winks on one of the beds with lots of fluffy pillows.

It's been a long and interesting day and I feel like a rest.  I can't wait, however, to see what else is in store for me in the days and weeks ahead.  I'll be sure to get back to you with updates on Wrights Lane.

It's a dog's life and that suits me just fine. I'm going to be very happy, I just know it...I can feel it in my (Milk)bones!

"Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

MY LATEST EPISTILE: THE CONTINUITY OF LIFE

*Click the arrow to view video. Watch on full screen if you want the wide-spread benefit of my "most-wanted poster" countenance.

PLEASE NOTE: By means of explanation, the term "gate (pearly)" that I use liberally in this video presentation, is an enduring biblical metaphor.  The idea of there being “pearly gates” in heaven, or leading into heaven, is based on a reference in the Book of Revelation describing the twelve gates of New Jerusalem. The imaginary, non-physical "gates" of which I speak are merely a series of points-of-entry through which a soul passes en route to life in the hereafter. Whether it is believed that these "gates" of heaven are metaphorical or literal, it helps to see the core values of Christian faith -- and some other world religions too, I might add.

WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD CHARACTER? HERE'S MINE...

My previous post on Wrights Lane dealt with the subject of attitude. I firmly believe that attitude and character are closely linked in all of our lives. One may well play chicken-or-egg here but attitude, I think, shapes character. In all things, our heart creates the appeal of our personality/character. Attitudes are a purposeful mindset...Think about this for a minute: "Every choice you make defines your true character, or self." So let's take a look at what it means to have "character."

Character is much more than just our reputation. Let's make that clear right off the top. A fellow blogger has correctly stated that "reputation" is only what others see and think about us. "Our character is who we really are, even when no one is looking."

Character Traits Determine How We Respond to the Situations and Circumstances of Life
Circumstance + Response = Result
Circumstance + Right Response = Good Result

Our overall character is made up of specific individual traits, or qualities, that are different for each individual. It is those character qualities, or traits, that determine how a person will respond in any given situation. For example, someone who has the character trait of alertness is more likely to be a better, safer, driver than a person who does not see or recognize the potential dangers around them (carelessness). A person with a strong character quality of truthfulness is much more likely to accurately report the facts in a given situation than a person who tends to be characterized by deceptiveness. A person with the character quality of tolerance will be more accepting of others – less prejudiced.

Responses Determine Results

Success or failure in any situation depends, more than anything else, on how we respond to the events and circumstances we face. Therefore, it is our character that determines our success. Of course, that doesn’t mean that “good” people will always experience more “success” than “bad” people. There are, however, some character traits that tend to lead to “success” and others that tend to produce “failure.” It is only common sense then, that if we want to have better success, we need to strengthen the “good” character qualities and get rid of the “bad” qualities.

What are the character qualities, or character traits, that make up a person’s character? How are they be built into a person's life? Can they be changed?

There could be many lists of “character qualities,” or “character traits.” If you and I each made our own list, we would probably both include words such as honesty, integrity, dependability, loyalty, enthusiasm, etc. Of course, there are many other qualities that could be added to our lists.

For example, “honesty” really consists of several more basic qualities – truthfulness, dependability, diligence, etc. Therefore, when we work on becoming more honest, we do so by becoming more truthful, more dependable, more diligent.

A good list of character traits that was developed by a Character Training Institute breaks “character” down into 49 specific qualities, or traits. Having such a list of character traits allows us to focus on specific qualities in order to build the “good character traits” into our lives.

Breaking character down into its basic elements allows us to focus on building specific qualities into our lives. For example, we may feel we are weak in the quality of “Alertness,” so we can concentrate on becoming more alert to what is going on around us. 

As we work on strengthening specific good character qualities, our overall character is improved and our responses to the circumstances we face will become more positive and effective. We will have more “success.”

How Does Character Affect Our Lives?

It has been suggested that character is the foundation for all true success. A person may have money, position, or power, but unless they have good character they will not be considered to be truly successful.

At this late stage in life, I have come to understand that character is what really determines our success in any area of life. Our character qualities guide our responses to the situations and circumstances we face in our lives. They are why we do the things we do and they are why we do things the way we do them. How we respond to the various things that come up in our lives is what determines the results we get, so our success really depends on our character.

Now, here comes a sad personal admission...

I have always considered myself to be of decent character but deep soul-searching reveals to me that I have a poor batting average when it comes to being successful. Then too, I have not always responded to life developments in a positive way, exhibiting some of the aforementioned "bad character traits." When things have not turned out well, the activist-innovator me has rationalized by looking for excuses, in a fit of self-pity blamed others, allowed myself to be distracted, felt remorseful, experienced resentment, denied ownership, gave in to quick-trigger emotions and discouragement, lost sight of the original goal -- all of the above and more. In retrospect then, does that mean that I have lacked in character?

I hesitate to concede that maybe it does! Quite honestly and obviously, there were times in life when I needed an "attitude" adjustment in order to go that extra mile that may have made all the difference. 

...And that explains a lot of things.

"Ve get too soon oldt undt too late schmart," as the Pennsyslvania Dutch would say.

YOU HAVE FULL CONTROL OF YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD LIFE

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
― Charles R. Swindoll


The above popular quotation by Charles Swindoll, evangelical Christian, pastor, author, educator and radio host, was forwarded to me by a friend recently. It got me thinking about how "attitude" is ideally applied in our lives.

Attitude is one of the most important factors in helping you get through the highs and lows of life. Since attitude spells how a person copes, whatever perspective you may hold will invariably have an effect in your performance and the way you handle rejection.

In one’s state of mind, it is often easy enough to generalize than to invest in careful analysis of a particular event. Thus, a person who suffers consecutive rebuffs may believe that all other potential partners will likely reject him or her again and again.

Inherently, attitudes have a basic structure and are essentially formed by us. Espousing a specific thought for a long time will inevitably make it a permanent entity in one’s mind—may it be for better or for worse. That is to say, that once a particular attitude is formed, it is highly likely that it is what often comes out of a person. Believe me, I have learned the hard way that if you approach an undertaking with a halfhearted attitude you will end up with less than desirable results.

Living life requires a predominantly positive attitude due to its nature of high and low cycle. Few people, if any, remain at the top their whole lives. It is unavoidable that one will undergo phases of trials and tribulations.

Even before any difficulty happens, a person’s mindset must be able to possess a certain level of positivity and realism. Although nobody can ever have absolute control in what occurs throughout their life, the attitude and approach they choose in handling life’s obstacles is fully within control.

Forming the Right Attitude

Our attitude about any state or condition in our life is always within our power to choose. Attitudes are rooted in one’s own beliefs and are unique across most individuals. They do not form overnight but rather, throughout the course of one’s life.

Moreover, certain attitudes create a negative impact to one’s life and may even cause it to fall apart. This is why it is an important task for each person to help themselves take on the proper attitude direction. Do remember that a person whose heart is not in what he or she is doing will never be half as productive as someone who has the right attitude.

It is simple really, a positive attitude produces much more favorable results while negative attitudes only serve to generate failure. We all have within us the power to respond to any given situation in any way we want regardless of the circumstances and this is why you can either choose to react positively or negatively.

According to a Stanford Research Institute study, the path to success is comprised of 88% attitude and only 12% education. This doesn’t imply that education is of little importance, but it only goes to show how vital it is to foster the proper attitude n regards to a person’s success. Once you have arrived at the right attitude, it then becomes much easier for things to just fall into place.

Much like walking, writing, playing sports and acquiring any other skill, attitude can also be learned. Having already mentioned that attitude develops from one’s own personal experiences and interactions throughout life, we have already accumulated several different attitudes on different things or instances which can be both negative and positive.

It is important to recognize a negative attitude right away as it hinders growth and success. Much like how we can learn them, we are also able to unlearn them and develop new and more positive ones.

Although one’s attitudes are initially nurtured from one’s environment, we nonetheless always have a choice on what to keep or discard in the long run. It is vital to develop a positive attitude since it will be very difficult to retain a certain kind of integrity without directing your perspective for a higher meaning or purpose.

In my next post on Wrights Lane I will talk about the importance of character in our lives.  Just as we can have good and bad attitudes, we can have good and bad character. It's all about application.

AN UPDATE ON ME: IT'S ALL GOOD!

While I have occasionally and selectively succumbed to my Internet addiction (responding to other people's sometimes provocative Facebook posts when feeling so moved) I have been enjoying my previously announced sabbatical from an inordinate amount of time spent on the computer.

In recent weeks I have met new friends, caught up with long-neglected chores around the house and property, adopted a new lifestyle regimen, concentrated on personal revitalization and intentionally lost some weight (approx.30 pounds to date). Already I feel that I have made great strides in the long range goal of achieving mental clarity and emotional well-being after a period of personal loss and debilitating stress.

Admittedly, I was pretty far gone for a while there.

Now the chore will be to avoid a tendency to eventually backslide, which I have been known to do in the past. Not this time though...if I know what's good for me!