Dear Dogs and Cats

My cousin emailed me this recently, and I just thought I’d share; it makes me smile, because it’s SO true!

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE PETS, THIS IS A TRUE STORY.

FOR THOSE THAT DON'T, IT IS STILL A TRUE STORY.

The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door.

Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes on the floor with the paw prints are yours and contain your food.
The other dishes are mine and contain my food.
Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate does not mean that it is suddenly your food, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed for Formula 1 and is not a racetrack.
Racing me to the top of the stairs is not the object.
Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed I am very sorry about this.
Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort.
Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep it is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible.
I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space that you are taking up, is nothing but sarcasm.
For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom!
If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door.
I must exit through the same door I entered.
Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is:
Kiss me first, and then go smell the other dog or cat's butt.
I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don't.
(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.
Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

(1) Eat less,
(2) Don’t ask for money all the time,
(3) Are easier to train,
(4) Normally come when called,
(5) Never ask to drive the car,
(6) Don’t hang out with drug-using people;
(7) Don’t smoke or drink,
(8) Don’t want to wear your clothes,
(9) Don’t have to buy the latest fashions,
(10) Don’t need a gazillion pounds for college
AND…
(11) If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.


My personal note:

My dog will continue to sleep on my bed, not the floor, it isn’t comfortable to sleep on the floor; I wouldn’t sleep on the floor, why would I make him? I don’t mind a little bit of dog hair, he brings me more joy then I can even begin to explain, a little dog hair is well worth the price. He can be difficult at times, but he so can I, and I’m guessing, so can you. And, he loves me no matter what, which isn’t the case with most people. He is ALWAYS excited to see me, every time I leave the house and return I am greeted as though I have been gone for months. It’s nice to be so loved. I can put up with his difficult behavior and idiosyncrasies. If you don’t like it, tough. He’s staying.
To those of you who don’t like animals, I don’t understand you. I’m not trying to be mean, but I find it incredibly confusing when people don’t like animals. I’m not saying you have to love all animals, or even like all animals. I have friends who don’t like cats, others who aren’t in to dogs, some who are terrified of birds. But, they don’t dislike all animals. A dog or a cat will give you unconditional love and, in my opinion, can only improve your life. And know this, coming to my house or my parents’ house means not only dealing with my dog, but being nice to him.

And if you hate animals (hate is different than not liking), well, they probably don’t like you either. And, I’m going to be honest, we’ll probably not be friends, because I love Love LOVE my dog.

The End.

Habits or Resolutions??

So, I've heard that there are studies that show it takes 21 days for a person to form a new habit, or break an old one.  I've perused the internet, not looking super hard, but looking, and never actually found any studies that prove this statement.  But, I think it's an interesting concept, especially at this time of year.  Here's the closest I found to a study proving this 21 day theory:
http://www.iamthankful.com/science/21-days-to-form-a-habit-you-can-do-it

New Year's is a time for new beginnings for most people.  Lots of people make New Year's resolutions, hoping this will be the time that they make the change.  But, how long do people actually stick with these resolutions?  Maybe it would be easier to stick with a resolution if you said it was a new habit, or that you were breaking an old one.  Here's an article from MSNBC on resolutions and sticking to them, and most importantly why we don't:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40893205/ns/health-behavior/
I think this article shows that not just resolutions are hard to keep, but habits are hard to form and break, because our brain's pleasure center wants what it wants.

We are a month in to the New Year, did you make any resolutions?  Did you keep them?  I'm not usually one to make resolutions. I think they are silly.  I think the day you decide to make the change should be the day you do it, you shouldn't just wait around for New Years.  I usually just go for it.  But, this year, I decided to make a resolution.  I didn't tell anyone I was doing it, because it was just for me.  It was a silly little thing.  My resolution was to floss, every single day.  Ya, ya, I know, I already should've been doing that.  But, I wasn't, I'm dumb.  But, I decided to make a resolution, to floss every single day.  It's been one month.  So, did I stick with it?  Yup.  Some days I forget, but I go back and do it.  I have flossed every single day this month, and plan to continue to do so.  Anyway, might seem silly and dumb, but I did stick to it and so far I've been really good.  I know my teeth and gums thank me.

A lot of people don't stick with their resolutions, check out this article about just that: http://www.proactivechange.com/resolutions/statistics.htm

But, then look at this article, it talks about how to set goals and keep them and how when you set one goal you fail, you can actually have a better chance at keeping with it next time: http://www.goal-setting-guide.com/statistics-facts-setting-years-resolutions

Did you stick with your resolutions?  If not, maybe go back and start over, it is the beginning of a new month.  Or start tomorrow, its the beginning of a new day.  Whenever you start, remember you should be making these changes for yourself and not for others.  For me, I am my harshest critic and I don't want to let myself down.  My resolution (forming a new habit) was a seemingly easy one, flossing, but I did it for me, and I knew that I would be happier with myself for doing it.  I have now formed a new habit, so maybe that whole 21 day thing was right on?  31 days and I'm still going strong.

Happy Birthday to... Rocky!!!

Today is my dog's birthday.  Yep, I know when my dog's birthday is.  In case you didn't already know, I love my dog, A LOT.  I got Rocky for my birthday four years ago, when he was just a few months old.  He has changed my life in a lot of ways.  And, I credit him with helping my mental health.  

When I first got Rocky I had been diagnosed with bipolar just a few months before, and had quit drinking just before that.  I was still struggling with a lot of things and my medication was still being adjusted.  Some days I didn't want to get out of bed at all.  There were days when life just seemed too hard and I wanted to let the bipolar wash over me, more than I wanted the medication to work.  But, with Rocky, I had no choice but to get up and get moving.  He needed to be fed, walked, played with.  So, even on those bad days I would get up.  It would have been so much easier to not get Rocky and not get my act together.  But, I did it.

Today, I am in a much different place than I was when Rocky came in to my life.  I still have bad days, where all I want to do is crawl under the covers and hide, but I look at the dog and the cuddly loving looks he gives me and I get myself up and take care of him, and in turn take care of myself.  I have my mental health under control and my personal life is in a much better place.  I know the dog didn't do these things for me, but with him it made it all so much more possible and feasible.  

I often say Rocky saved my life.  But, in fact what he did was show me how to save my own life. Through caring for my dog I have learned to better care for myself.  I have learned to appreciate my own life more.  Rocky gives me unconditional love, everyday.  When he wakes up in the morning he's just so happy to be alive, and it makes me try harder to take on the day in a positive way.  Every time I come home he's is just so happy to see me, wagging his little tail and wiggling around and jumping up to get to me.  This kind of love and happiness makes me a better person.  I love having this goofy little creature in my life and could not imagine my life without him.

Happy Birthday to my dog, Rocky!!!

As a side note, I totally let Rocky sleep on the bed, and occasionally under the covers.  I know that there are people who think this is weird or gross or whatever.  My thought is, if I wouldn't sleep on the floor why would I make him sleep on the floor?  That's just madness!  I'm not making him sleep on the floor.

Check out my picture of the day today to see how Rocky celebrated his big day (a little celebration and a nice long walk): http://2011-inpictures.blogspot.com/