"Even on your worst day, there is a possibility for JOY."
That quote is from an episode of Castle. He'd been snooping in Kate's desk and found a stick figure made from beach wood and string and assorted beach stuff. After a bit of bickering, she finally told him the story of the object. Turns out it was from the day of her mother's funeral. She and her dad had been surrounded by friends and family, both of them miserable with the whole affair. Her dad grabbed her and whisked her off to Coney Island. There, still dressed in their funeral garb, they walked the beach, gathering treasures and finding their way into the joy of the moment, despite the passing of her mom, his wife. Together they constructed the stick man and she'd carried it with her since that dreadful/joyful day. Castle asked Kate if the day was "a happy one or a sad one". She replied, "Both." And then she said, "He reminds me that even on your worst day, there is a possibility for joy."
It's one of my favorite episodes. And I never forgot that story. So, one day, I decided to try to recreate that stick man. I keep it on my fridge. As a reminder. It always makes me smile. And then...
Today, whilst sitting at my desk, trying to get started on some work, I heard on of the Yorkies barking. Nothing new. They're a noisy pair. But this wasn't a playful sound. It was clearly a sound of distress. I stopped to listen more closely. Three seconds passed before it registered. I jumped out of my chair and ran outside. There I saw Sophie facing the pool, standing statue still. Bentley was facing his house, barking more intensely. Where's Barkley????
I ran to the pool and saw the poor little fella trying desperately to get OUT. The water is ice cold. He's NOT a very good swimmer. I grabbed him up and ran to his house, hollering for his mama. She opened the door to see me dashing up the steps, holding the poor, soaked puppy at arms length. Both Bentley and Sophie were at my heels. She said, "I kept thinking, why won't he stop barking?". All I could think was, thank the gods for my instincts. And for my ability to distinguish their voices. And for Bentley, looking out for his brother. And for Sophie, pointing to the pool. I was so full of adrenaline at that point, all I could do was hand the dog over and go back to my house.
And then it hit me. I couldn't stop crying. I kept thinking about what might have happened if I hadn't gotten up and went out there to see what was wrong. Or if I didn't have that ability to note the different tones they use. Or if Bentley hadn't done what he did. All those images kept screaming through my mind as the adrenaline worked its way out of my system.
Now, as I've typed these words, I can feel my body relaxing. I can feel my heart resume its normal rhythm. The tears have stopped. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. He's okay. DEEP BREATHS.
What's left is this:
Profound gratitude.
For being able to hear what he was saying.
For listening to my intuition.
For both Sophie and Bentley doing their parts.
For getting out there in time to save that little guy.
As the calm returns, in my head all I hear is:
Even on your worst day, there is a possibility for JOY.
That quote is from an episode of Castle. He'd been snooping in Kate's desk and found a stick figure made from beach wood and string and assorted beach stuff. After a bit of bickering, she finally told him the story of the object. Turns out it was from the day of her mother's funeral. She and her dad had been surrounded by friends and family, both of them miserable with the whole affair. Her dad grabbed her and whisked her off to Coney Island. There, still dressed in their funeral garb, they walked the beach, gathering treasures and finding their way into the joy of the moment, despite the passing of her mom, his wife. Together they constructed the stick man and she'd carried it with her since that dreadful/joyful day. Castle asked Kate if the day was "a happy one or a sad one". She replied, "Both." And then she said, "He reminds me that even on your worst day, there is a possibility for joy."
It's one of my favorite episodes. And I never forgot that story. So, one day, I decided to try to recreate that stick man. I keep it on my fridge. As a reminder. It always makes me smile. And then...
Today, whilst sitting at my desk, trying to get started on some work, I heard on of the Yorkies barking. Nothing new. They're a noisy pair. But this wasn't a playful sound. It was clearly a sound of distress. I stopped to listen more closely. Three seconds passed before it registered. I jumped out of my chair and ran outside. There I saw Sophie facing the pool, standing statue still. Bentley was facing his house, barking more intensely. Where's Barkley????
I ran to the pool and saw the poor little fella trying desperately to get OUT. The water is ice cold. He's NOT a very good swimmer. I grabbed him up and ran to his house, hollering for his mama. She opened the door to see me dashing up the steps, holding the poor, soaked puppy at arms length. Both Bentley and Sophie were at my heels. She said, "I kept thinking, why won't he stop barking?". All I could think was, thank the gods for my instincts. And for my ability to distinguish their voices. And for Bentley, looking out for his brother. And for Sophie, pointing to the pool. I was so full of adrenaline at that point, all I could do was hand the dog over and go back to my house.
And then it hit me. I couldn't stop crying. I kept thinking about what might have happened if I hadn't gotten up and went out there to see what was wrong. Or if I didn't have that ability to note the different tones they use. Or if Bentley hadn't done what he did. All those images kept screaming through my mind as the adrenaline worked its way out of my system.
Now, as I've typed these words, I can feel my body relaxing. I can feel my heart resume its normal rhythm. The tears have stopped. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. He's okay. DEEP BREATHS.
What's left is this:
Profound gratitude.
For being able to hear what he was saying.
For listening to my intuition.
For both Sophie and Bentley doing their parts.
For getting out there in time to save that little guy.
As the calm returns, in my head all I hear is:
Even on your worst day, there is a possibility for JOY.
