Taking yourself (less) seriously

Yesterday was stressful at work. When I got home, my husband was cutting down a tree to make way for the new DISH satellite - so Abbie and I decided to go for a walk to get her out of the way. As we walked, she started to play in the rainwater ditches on the side of the road. I walked, musing about my day until she got my attention with her shenangans. To amuse myself, I picked up a rock from the road and threw it in the water in front of Abbie. It made a nice sized splash and got her attention. So, I picked up another rock and repeated the process. This time, Abbie got spooked and jumped backwards. I started to laugh silently, and looked for another rock. We did this for 15 minutes or so, me laughing so hard I could hardly keep it quiet and Abbie trying to figure out what was splashing in the water.

I love our dog. She takes my mind off of what is absolutely not serious and makes me take myself much less seriously.

Still looking for a reason to adopt a dog? Want to find a good playmate? Check out the Humane Society in your town. Go for a walk and play with a dog. It'll do you good.

Morning walk motivation

Fall in the midwest is truly here. The colors of the soybean fields are absolutely stunning as they turn colors from dark green to gold and even a bit of lavender on the top.

As Abbie(our dog) and I walked this morning, we wanted to share our morning motivation with you. This summer, we decided to start walking in the morning before she had to go into her kennel for the day (when we leave for work).

Both of us have come to enjoy our time in nature so much that there is absolutely no excuse that will keep us from our morning walk now. Sometimes we even go for the same walk in the afternoon when I get home from work. We have done a lot of bonding and training on our walks. It is so much fun to see her puppiness as she jumps in the water puddles and stretches out her legs when she runs. You can tell when we've had a good training session which we do during the walk (come, touch, heel). She will bound down the road, tail high in the air, showing her pleasure that she did the right thing. It makes me smile - a lot.

So as we move through the beginning of fall (and contemplate winter's excuses not to walk), this is a great time to start a walking habit. Please consider contacting your local Humane Society to see if there is a puppy waiting to be your morning walk motivation. Our local Humane Society has an over supply of dogs right now - and are having an adoption sale. I wasn't a dog person before Abbie - but I have learned to love her and am so grateful that she makes our morning walk a necessary pleasure in our life.

The Good Life

This morning I was reflecting on the fact that the common things are the most interesting.

The walking shoes that I just bought this summer - but are already dirty.

My jeans from Goodwill that are a bit too long, but fit great otherwise.

The sunflowers that only recently started to bloom on the side of the road. No one intentionally planted flowers on our road, but it seems there is always something there to adorn our walk.

The fact that our dog can run like the wind and is beautiful in her actions.

My co-worker was bragging about her half million dollar home the other day. I would not give up any of the above for what she has to put up with in her home.

This morning it felt good to be grateful for the common things in our life. I hope you enjoy the images from our rural good life.

Prayer Walks

During this summer, I started walking two miles with our dog before I went to work and before she went into the kennel for the day. During those walks, I moved my daily rosary prayer from the drive to work to the walking time. It seemed more spiritual to be praying in our lovely rural setting, rather than in the Honda amidst all of the other drivers who were commuting to work for the day.

Today's walk was absolutely beautiful. The low hanging clouds formed a blue and purple ceiling in the horizon while the sun was trying to peek through those clouds in the east. The cool morning air smelled of early fall and was crisp and clean in my lungs.

Today's prayer - the Glorious Mysteries - began with the prayers for faith and hope as we meditate on the resurrection and assumption of our Lord into heaven. The blue sky provided an clear invitation to open my heart to the gifts of the holy spirit.

As I strive to utilize the gifts God has provided, I write this post and commit to writing on a more regular basis.