12 pounds of energy

On the chilly, rainy night of December 2nd of this past year, I decided that it was time to bring some more life into the house.   I officially adopted Jasmine and Grace.   How did I end up with these two mischievous little furballs?   It was an easy decision for me.   I kept my question for the Summit Humane Society pretty simple.  “Who’s been tough to adopt and needs a home?”   

Coming home, but not real sure about all of this

These two cats have an interesting story.   They were brought to the Summit Humane Society when they were only 3 weeks old or so.   Both of them had severe upper respiratory infections also.   As kittens, they spent most of the time getting poked, prodded, tested, or having yucky medicines given to them.   Because of this, they look at humans as giant needle sticking, disgusting medicine giving monsters.   By the time they were healthy enough to go up for adoption, they were no longer cute kittens, but now cats.    

Not only were they not the cute and cuddly furballs, but they were scared of humans.   The caretakers at the Humane Society did wonderful things for the girls, but Jazzy and Grace aren’t really so sure of that though.   People would come in, hang out in the visiting room with the girls, and they would just hide in the corner.   It’s this unfortunate reaction that made most people say “I’m just not feeling it with these two”.   

When I started to think about adopting cats again, I started to think about what type of cat I wanted.   What their personality would be like and how they would interact with me.   I looked back to a cat that I had for 13 years before named Rocket.   She was amazing.   She always greeted me at the door.   She was always ready for dinnertime.   She was always by my side.   “Yes….that’s what I want again!”

I realized that is the cat that everyone wants.   That is the cat that gets adopted right away.   I started to ponder my position in things and I felt that I should be taking on a challenge.   I should be learning something new and different.  I should be doing something that’s going to be a change and force me to change.   I have the capability, so I should be the one to adapt.   As soon as I was told about Jasmine and Grace, I knew that they were the ones that we going to come home to teach me.   

For the first 3 weeks, they never left my home office.   2 litter boxes.   2 food dishes.   2 water bowls, and about 10 times more room than they’ve ever had.   I could almost see the “OMG this is scary big!” looks on their faces when they finally ventured out of the cat carrier.   When I started to open up other areas of the house, Grace started out as the brave one.   Unfortunately, that was short lived as she made it to the living room before hiding under an end table and refusing to move...for 24 hours.   Once she got back to the office (with some assistance and me earning a few scratches for my efforts), it was 2 more weeks before she decided to venture out again.   

The first 5-6 weeks were tough on all of us.   I wanted to encourage them to get out of the office and explore the rest of the house.   My presence usually only scared them into hiding.   I wanted to show them some of the neat things to climb on.   I wanted to show them all of the room that they now had to run around in.    They sat huddled in the corner together.   

Sometimes they just creep on me while I workout in the morning.

It’s been 5 months now that Irving and I have had the two new housemates, and we’ve both learned a lot.   Irving has learned that cats turn quicker than he does….especially before a wall.   He’s also learned that cat claws are ouchie if you get in the cats face too much.   For me, there’s been a few lessons involved.  

1. Patience.   Sometimes, we need to do things on our own schedules.   Pushing someone is good, but know when to let them work on their own.
2. Adapting.   When I adopted these two, I thought “it’s cats. I’ve done this before”.   These two cats are a whole different ball game.   I’ve had to adapt my thinking to fit them specifically.   We’ve all benefited from their ability to get me to do that.
3. Comfort.   I went a bit outside of my comfort zone when getting these two.   Normal cats are wonderful creatures.   Watching these two do what they do has made me laugh, learn, and think more than a “normal” cat would.   These two are the classic case of “Step outside of your comfort zone if you want to learn”.  

Anytime is playtime.   Especially 3:00 AM

Jasmine and Grace were at the shelter for 500 days.   They’ve been here for only 156 so far.   I still haven’t been able to pet Jasmine and I can only pet Grace when she’s got her face in her food dish.    I’m ok with that.   These two have made this place home.   I’m glad that they are willing to share it with Irving and I along with many, many lessons that they have in store for us.   

Connecting awareness

Some people would argue this about me, but I often struggle with what to say to people.   When working with the homeless, how do you start a conversation?   What do you say?   It’s tough to figure out common ground.   Politics are too polarized at the moment.   I’m not up on the latest in the entertainment world.   Most homeless people aren’t really into the latest automotive news.   What am I going to say to someone?

I know that I’ve mentioned this before, but I always try to make requests feel better than “just another line” for people to go through.   I don’t have much time, but I always want to do something to make sure that the people I talk to feel like people instead of a list of items on a sheet of paper.   Even though I’m not always sure that I get through in that form, I always want to make the effort.   Today, I was shown why that effort is worth it.

I took a request from a gentleman today for some boots.   He was a taller, slender man carrying a backpack, a few items he had picked up at other vehicles, and a travel mug of coffee.   His jacket was this bright, royal blue color.   A bit dirty, but a color that bright is tough to hide.   His stainless steel travel mug had two bright blue stripes on it, the same color as his jacket.   When I asked him if he planned it that way, he gave a loud laugh and said “this isn’t even my favorite mug.   I lost my favorite but ended up with this one.   I think I kinda like it now.”   

We made a few jokes and had some big laughs about being fashionable and “gotta look good all of the time” before we parted ways.   As he turned to leave, he had a huge smile on his face.   I saw him look at his mug, then his jacket a couple of times as he walked away with a touch of a skip in his step.   I’m pretty sure that he had a new favorite mug.   I get the feeling that his outlook on the day, and his mug had changed a bit.   

Lesson one: It only takes a small connection to start a big reaction.

Knowing who I am, I realize that in public situations, I become very aware of my surroundings and those that are in it.   That doesn’t mean that I catch every detail of every conversation, but it does lend me to hear and see things that others often do not.   Today, this awareness fed me two bits of information that still have me smiling.   

Through the two seasons that I’ve done missions with the Akron Snow Angels, I’ve seen a lot of faces.   Some have been different, and some have been the same.   There are those that we see time and time again that are stuck.   For whatever reason, unable to get traction to change their situation.   In some cases, they may not want to change their situation.   They’ve become comfortable with the uncomfortable.   I’m still very happy to help those people.   I don’t know why they may be stuck.   They may not even know it.   In the same sense, it may not even be their doing.   For me, I just enjoy knowing that I was able to help make their day a bit better.   

On the opposite side of that, there are people that may be spinning their wheels, but aren’t necessarily stuck.   Sometimes, there just needs to be a little bit of a push to help get un-stuck.   Today, I overheard two separate people today mention that they had either moved into or got news that they were getting housing.   In working with the homeless this is the best news to hear.   These are people that aren’t stuck.   It’s such a huge step in the right direction for people.   It’s not the end of the battle, but it’s the biggest step towards getting to what most of us consider a “normal” life.   I’m excited for these people.   I wouldn’t mind talking with them again.    I’m also glad that I won’t have to.   

Lesson two: Pay attention. Good stories are out there if you’re listening.

Hearing those two stories today puts a quote into my head….backwards.

One small step for mankind.   One giant leap for a man.   (or two)

Positively Chilling

It’s 9:00 on a Sunday morning as I pull my dad’s truck out of the garage and start down the road for another mission with the Akron Snow Angels.   Less than a mile down the road I look over at the readout in the truck that tells me it’s 8 degrees outside.   I’m in the truck, all bundled up in 4 layers of clothes including Carhartt overalls, and I’m cold.   It’s at this point when it dawns on me, “I don’t see how some of my friends live in this.”

I was the first to arrive at the facility where we meet and store all of the items that we have.   It’s not heated, but it does keep everything that we have dry.    As soon as I pushed the door open I felt a rush of disappointing, but not unexpected cold air.   Once again, the question of “how can they live in this?” circled around in my head.   

We had a few more volunteers than normal today which was nice.   We got everything loaded up and headed for Grace Park as per our usual routine.   With it being so cold out, the crowd that greeted us had fewer people.   To me, that’s a good thing.   It means that some of the shelters have opened their doors to a few more people in order to make sure that they can stay warm.   

We parked and I got to do my favorite job again.   I took requests today.   I still love doing this.   I love how it gives me a chance to hear from, learn about, and interact with so many people.   Some of them are more memorable than others, but today had one interaction that gave me a bit of a spark, and it’s what led me to figure out what the lesson was for today.

On the early December mission, I met a man and his wife.   He is a taller man with a booming voice, a firm handshake and a friendly demeanor.   She is quieter and prefers to be in the background, but is very pleasant.    They live in a tent, so their situation is obviously not ideal, but my perception of their situation tells me that it’s an amazing relationship.   

He is a man of pride.   He sees their situation, and wants to work to get both of them out of it.   He is working to move things forward.   He wants to provide for them.  He wants to protect her.   On the flip side of the equation, through thick and painfully very thin times, she supports him.   She has confidence in him.   They are in a tough spot and yet they are in it 100% together.   They help each other.   It’s very easy to bail when times get tough and say “I’ll do this on my own.”   With these two, they want to do it together.   They do what so many people don’t in making sure that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.    What’s amazing is that they are doing this in conditions that most people would give up in.   It’s a powerful thing to see.   

This mission, he came up to me and asked if he could get a set of Carhartt coveralls.   It was with great pride that he told me “I got a job!”   He told me where and what he’d be doing.   “I’ll be outside 9 hours a day and it’s not going to start getting warmer for a while yet.   I hope that on the first of the month, we can finally get a place.”   Hearing those words made my week.   

It was after this conversation with him that I noticed something about everyone that I had talked to that day.   When my house drops below 68 degrees, I think it’s cold, and although I don’t complain to the dog and cats, I probably would if they would listen.   These people are living in conditions where the temperature is 8….and they aren’t complaining.   People made a few small jokes about the cold, but no actual complaints.   No griping.   No “I hate this”.   

I’ve always somewhat avoided the “how’s it going?” question when on missions as I’ve always been afraid of making someone feel bad.   After some thoughts though, I wanted to see if my lesson was turning out to be what I thought it was.   I asked my friend Jared how he was doing.   “Good!” was his only reply.   I asked Jesse how he has been as I haven’t seen him for a while.  “Not too bad”.    I asked some of the people that came up to me for requests.  “Doing ok.”   “Great!”   “I’m alive and well.”   Not one had a negative answer.   

As I started to process all of these answers and why they have them, I realized that negativity is a sign of giving up.   If you give up in this situation, in these conditions, you’re dead.   In these sometimes dire situations, hope and a positive attitude may be the only things that you have.   

Today’s lesson: Even in a difficult situation, your outlook can mean the difference between survival or failure.   

People and Battles

Being the first mission, with some new volunteers, from a location that we moved into just a week ago, you would think that there would have been some hiccups in the process.    To be honest, things went amazingly smooth and that can be attributed to the beauty of volunteer group.   Everyone is there because they want to be there.   They want to reach that common goal.   As long as the general mission is known, the smaller jobs seem to quickly fall into place.   I find that every time I get involved in something like this, there is a lesson that can almost universally be applied.   People make the difference.   It can be one, or it can be hundreds.   It’s people that make the difference.

  

It’s the end of November, so it’s the beginning of the season to #spreadthewarmth and start working in the field with the Akron Snow Angels.   It seemed all too fitting that the night before the mission is the first snow of the season.   

To make sure that the warmth was spread, two people were panhandling within sight of the parking lot where we sat.   Erin, the founder of the Akron Snow Angels, took a small group over to deliver some meals and other items to those people.   To do the most good, you have to get out there and do things, and this is a wonderful example of that.   Imagine having to panhandle in the freezing cold and the snow while watching so many cars pass by.   Then, to have a small group approach you with some warm clothing and a hot meal.   That’s hope.    That’s motivation.   That’s fuel.   That’s so much more than the tangible items.   

From North Hill, we headed back to the usual spot between Grace Park and the Haven of Rest.   I was the “Request Guy” today as it’s a position I have come to really enjoy.   I get to talk to a lot of people and get the opportunity to give them a bit of personal warmth.   If someone was making a request, I always tried to ask for their name first.   I wanted to connect, and calling someone by their name who doesn’t often hear it is a good initial step.   These people matter, but don’t often feel like they do.   That is the change that I wanted to bring with me today, and I felt that in many cases I was successful.  

Nearing the end of the day, I had just 2 or 3 people left that wanted to make a request.   As I was talking with them, I noticed a gentleman pacing a bit behind the group.   He had an energy about him, more out of awkwardness than anything.   He appeared to be outwardly nervous, but not scared.   It intrigued me.   Finally, it got to be his turn to make a request and he introduced himself as Ronald.    Right at that moment, someone turned back and interrupted us with no regard for what was going on so they could add to their request list.   What impressed me during this what how Ronald handled the situation.  When interrupted, Ronald just stepped back and patiently waited…..paced….but waited.   He had no angst.  No anger.  No grudge.   He knew that I’d still take his request.   Ronald is in a world where you have to compete to survive, but he knew at that point that he didn’t need to compete.   He knew that his needs would get met.   I took note of this and it made more sense as to why later.   

Lesson #1 is obvious.   It’s just been reaffirmed today.   “People make the difference.”

Lesson #2 was taught to me by Ronald.    “Pick your battles, for you may not know what consequences an battle not worth fighting may bring”

The second lesson is one that I have had a tough time with in my life.   People that know me know that I have a tendency to go “full throttle” at everything.   Today was a much needed reminder for me.   Thank you Ronald.  

Get to a comfortable place....for someone else.

That smile.

I arrived at One Of A Kind Pets today, walked in the door and said, “who needs some exercise?”   I was instantly pointed towards Faith again.   After a few laughs, we hooked up the leash to the mini-tornado and took off towards the park to get in some exercise and bonding time.   

Faith definitely didn’t disappoint me with her level of enthusiasm for being outside in this wonderful weather.   Put this dog on a treadmill and I’m pretty sure that she could power a small town…..like Chicago.   Just like last time, we made lap after lap around, over, and through the park in whatever direction her nose took us.   We had an absolute blast together as we had no purpose or direction other than to let off some steam.   

While we were running around, Faith would occasionally grab onto the leash with her mouth and yank it along in a wonderfully playful manor.   This puppy was out, and able to be a puppy which was a ton of fun to see.   Occasionally, like any youngin’, play mode went into overdrive and became a bit much for the adult in charge to handle.   (Yes, hard to believe, but the “adult in charge” is me.)   A tug on the leash only encouraged her more.   A “no” or a “hey” didn’t cut the mustard either.   I started wondering how long before my arm gets longer like Stretch Armstrong.   

As she tugged, played, and whirled around, I bent down towards Faith and pondered offering her a treat.   It turns out, I didn’t need the treat to change what was happening.   As soon as I started to get down to her level, she went from “play like a wild animal” mode to “cuddle” mode light a switch was turned.   Almost instantly she was sitting next to me and begging for scratches and attention.   I was blown away.   You knew it was the same dog as she had the same playful, loving look, but her actions were completely different   It was almost uncanny.  

Of course we had to snuggle, have scratches, and petting time, but I kept in mind that this is a puppy and we still needed to burn off a fair bit of energy!    Time to run!!!   We took off in a flash across the park again only to come to a sudden stop as we found a stick that looked like a lot of fun to play with.   

Besides me, do you have a friend that does things that may not make sense, but they do it just to prove that they can?   Yeah…..that’s this dog.   She picked up and carried this stick/large chunk of a tree around for 5 minutes and had a blast doing so.   Everytime she picked it up, I was given a look like “See. I’m impressive, aren’t I?”.   Yes…...Yes she is.   The whole time, we both grinned from ear to ear.  

Walk quickly and drag along a big stick

It was easy to see what Faith was trying to teach me tonight.   When I stood there and said things, she pretty much ignored me.   It’s like I was just an anchor at the other end of the leash.   As soon as I got to her height, things changed instantly.   It’s not that we were on different levels.   That’s not it at all.   What I realized is that it helps to have an association.   Stand there like a post, and you’ll get treated like one.   Don’t expect things to come to you.   Get involved with people and animals where they are comfortable, and they will love you for it.

Faithfully Determind and Curious

Running, smiling, and changing directions with a bad photographer yields this result.

Meet Faith.   This little girl is what everyone wants in a puppy.  She’s spunky, curious, active, fun, and super affectionate…..and super cute! (my photography is not)   I’m pretty sure that we covered every square inch of that park this evening as we ran in pretty random patterns looking for the next thing to catch our interest.   Sometimes it was another dog.   Other times it was a bird or squirrel.   Sometimes is was even just the trail of a good smell.  I use my phone to log my mileage and when I looked at the GPS of where all we went, it looked like a 2 year old that does not know how to color inside of the lines got their hands on the map and a blue crayon.   It’s funny how in looking back at the map, I realized the first thing that I was being taught tonight.    

As a younger dog, Faith is super curious about everything.   She wants to go everywhere.   It’s the two words “curious” and “everywhere” that really struck me in all of that.   If you stay in one spot, or on one path, you’ll see one thing, or just one path.   In some cases, that’s just fine.   I realized that as beings, we have to stay curious.   It’s how we learn.   It is the difference between “alive” and “living”.   This dog is definitely living it up, even in a less than ideal circumstance which is absolutely awesome.   

If you want to see a prime example of determination, put something that Faith wants to sniff or check out just out of her reach and see what the dog does.   This dog has a drive like no other.   The 170 lb. boat anchor attached to the other end of her leash (me) wasn’t going to stop her from seeing what she wanted to see.   Even as I pulled her away from things, she dug in and pulled and pulled to see what it was that had her interest.   That’s solid determination.  That’s grit.   That’s absolutely awesome!   

Bench time

There were points where I had to play “bad guy” though and keep her away from something she wanted to see.   Rolling in mud may have been one of them…..    If I let her know it was time to move on, she did…which was amazing also.   She didn’t want to give up going to see what she wanted to until I let her know it was time for something else.   To me, that’s one of the things that makes dogs so special.   Driven, but also driven to serve.   I don’t believe that you should be so determined in something that you should never quit.   I do believe that the level of determination that Faith has is perfect.   She goes right up until the point where it’s blatantly obvious that it’s time to head in a different direction.   It’s determination with a dash of crazy, and a pinch of great judgement.   Super intelligent for someone that hasn’t been on the planet very long.  

We spent a few minutes watching the world from a bench.   We had treats (she ate, I served).   We snuggled, wrestled, and played.   All with the walking and running in the space of an hour.   The time flew by, but we still seemed to manage to squeeze so much into it which was great.   

A final thought: Leaving the shelter is always difficult.   Every dog I’ve walked I’ve wanted to bring home with me.   I leave knowing that I made someone’s day, and they have made mine.   I learn from every dog that I walk.   Irving still teaches me things all of the time even and still hasn’t run out of lessons after almost 4 years.  The dogs at the shelter practice their educational skills on me while they wait for someone that they can help on a daily basis to come along.   It’s never easy, but I’m glad I’ve had these opportunities as it’s changed me as a person and how I think about things.   Learning is a process, and there’s plenty of willing teachers out there.   The best ones never say a word.   

The guy that never stops teaching

New Teacher, New Lesson

Today I got the chance to hang out with a new pooch named Brynn.   After just a few minutes, I reached the conclusion that you’d be hard pressed to find a sweeter dog anywhere.   It took her a little while, but she eventually was able to teach me something this evening.   Ironically enough, it took so long not because of the teacher was bad, but the student was a little slow on things.   

It started out as a normal dog walk.  I show up and look someone that appears as if they’d be willing to teach me something.   Once I find that pup, we head out for a walk.   Shortly after I walked in, I saw Brynn.   She had a “pick me!” look to her, so on the leash went and off to the park we went.   

Things started out a bit rough for us as she ran into my left leg about 8 times before we were even out of the parking.   I was trying to figure out if the dog was trying to trip me or what was going on.   Finally, I get the bright idea that maybe she wanted to walk on the other side, so I switched her over to my right side.   Problem solved.   At this point I’m thinking, “Maybe I am starting to figure this stuff out.”   That should have been my first clue that I was going to get it all wrong.   

We headed to the park that we walk and made a solid lap without too much of an issue.   I notice that as more dogs came the park, the less interested Brynn was in walking.   I kept trying to get her keep walking, but she wasn’t interested.   A few minutes later, I noticed that  she was shaking a bit.   I’m not sure if it was from the cold or if she was afraid of something, but she wasn’t interested in much of a walk anymore.   I wasn’t really sure what to think at this point.   She didn’t really want to move in any direction but south, towards the shelter.   All that kept going through my head was “she should want to walk, no?”.    Realizing that she just didn’t want to walk much anymore, we headed back.      

As she got into her cage, she gave me a look that said something to me.   I’m not really sure what it was, but I knew that Brynn wasn’t ready to call it a day yet.   I asked one of the shelter workers “Is there a place where we can just hang out?   Like a room or something?”   There was a grassy patch just across the parking lot that would do fine I guess, but we didn’t make it that far.   We ended up hanging out on the back step.   Having treats.   Having hugs.   Having attention.   She loved it.   A lapse in petting would yield a paw across your arm to let me  know “Hey man, you’re not done behind the ears there….”

I started to understand this.  A walk is a nice time.   It’s great exercise, and it’s good bonding for some people.   Brynn needed more than that.   She needed someone to make a big deal over her.   She needed that love.   She needed that attention that I’m pretty sure has been lacking.   She needed to be the focus.   When she became that focus, we both seemed to feel better.   It made sense.   I couldn’t figure out what the problem was for Brynn and I at first.   As soon as I focused on her and the attention that she needed instead of just walking, she lit up.   

When we went back into the shelter, Brynn went into her cage with ease.   She was ready to call it a day.   She got what she really needed at that point.   The attention that lets her know that someone cares for her.   She just needed to feel loved.   

I left feeling a bit torn.   I failed to listen at first so I squandered a fair bit of time trying to put a square peg in a round hole.   On the flip side, we had a really fun time together just hanging out.   

Don’t assume you know what the solution is because you may not truly know what the problem is…….

Trying new things

Monday evening was another walk at One Of A Kind pets.   Today was a day where I was pretty sure that I was going to show up to walk someone new, and I was right.  It felt like a good “big dog” day so that’s the room that I headed to with a pocket full of treats.   I walked in and started going on down the line.   There were a few dogs that just didn’t seem all that interested in walking with me.   Then I got to the run where Sable was staying.   This guy was at his door with a look that said “pick me, pick me, pick me”.   I hooked up the leash, and off we went.   

There was a new walker in the group so Sable and I showed them the way to the park.  Drake was the other dog's name and he was full of all sorts of tricks.   Drake was a complete ham and would do just about anything to earn a treat.   Sitting, shaking a paw, jumping, the list went on and on.   Sable on the other hand wasn’t into tricks.   He didn’t pull on the leash.   He knew when it was time to go and when it was time to stop.   Really, he was just happy to be out and about for a bit.   

After a while, Sable and I were on our own and having a good time just walking in random directions.   His nose was the leader of the whole parade as it searched out the next great discovery.   As we walked, I started to really study the guy that’s on the other end of the leash.   I’m no good with dog breeds and I’ve never really felt that it’s mattered much.   He’s furry.  He’s nice.   He had a bit of a “hitch in his get-along” towards the end of the walk.   He loved the walk, but I think that he liked laying in the grass and getting scratches more.   

Rudy taught me many different lessons.   One of which was how to be attentive.   I’m glad he did as it really let me see what Sable wanted to do while we were out.   Sable wanted attention.   He wanted to be outside with someone.   He wanted to hang out.   He wanted a buddy.   He wanted to stop to relax, enjoy some good company, and just watch the rest of the world.

I’m very used to the very active style of life that Irving and I have.   Last week, we covered 27 miles in 4 days together with a combination of hiking, walking and running.   Sable is just as intense, but in totally the opposite direction.   He was excited, but for a slow walk, some time in the grass, and a good belly rub.   As I watched him, I don’t remember seeing one time where his tail wasn’t wagging.   Walking, lying down, just hanging out, whatever the occasion, he had this smile and a happy tail.   I really enjoyed hanging out with that big, loveable ball of fur.  

Sable showed me that it’s not always about what you’re doing, but who you’re doing it with.   We have different interests, but I think that’s why we made such a great team.   We are open to learning from each other.   Sable opened my eyes a lot on this, and I’m thankful for that.  

Be open to those around you.   Their differences may give you a new perspective.   

Good Golly Miss Molly

It’s amazing what a good ole’ shave and shower can do for most everyone, and Molly is no exception.   This girl got a haircut and a bath and she’s ready to set the world on fire.   She’s this little ball of energy that’s just wanting to see everything she can.   Right now, most what she sees is only 4” in front of her nose as it’s glued to the ground when we walk....but there’s still a ton of ground to cover even like that!   There are all sorts of new and wonderful (to her) smells to take in.   Molly is a blast to walk with and so much fun to watch.   It’s amazing to see someone learn right before your eyes.   It’s watching a mind develop and grow.   

In the interest of full disclosure, I wrote this last week when I walked Molly.   I had another obligation this Monday, so I wasn’t able to be at One Of A Kind.   Don’t click somewhere else though…...I still learned something and it’s a lesson that I’ve always tried to live by, but needed a refresher course on.

During our walk, we went all over the place.  Left, right, down the middle, across the grass, over the hill, and around in circles.   We went where her nose took us.   I wanted to get to know a bit more about Molly on a “one on one” basis rather than just by following her around so we stopped for a while.   It turns out, not even Molly can resist my famous “ear rubs”.   

Molly and I started out walking with another walker and a dog named Annie.   Annie is a super sweet and very pretty dog.  Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure that she is scared of the entire outside world.   It is something that makes me really sad.  All that Annie and Molly have probably really known is life in a small cage.   For Annie, it’s a safe place.   It’s where she can hide.   It’s secure.   It’s familiar.   When I watched both dogs, there is a sharp contrast between how they have handled their new situations.   Annie will need someone to help her out of her shell.  Molly has busted out and isn’t looking back.     It is this difference that really hammered home the lesson for today.

Molly is a great girl.   Full of life, energy, and curiosity.   I’m not sure how old she is, but I know she’s not a puppy.   She’s older, and surprisingly curious.   She does OK in her cage…but she loves being out in the world.   There’s no fear or trepidation.   There’s a ton of excitement.   She wants to learn.   She’s excited to take it all in.   She’s ready to see what this world has to offer her.   

Stay curious.   Keep an open mind.   Look for adventure outside of the normal.   That’s how you will continue to learn.   

Connecting through trust

Another mission with the Akron Snow Angels today and I have come away from it with a slightly different perspective on things.   All of the missions set out with the same ideals, but they all seem to have a different feel to them.   There’s an evolution that’s happening here on a lot of different levels.   It’s a good feeling.  

When you wake up to a day that is 48 degrees and raining, it’s not exactly exciting for most of us.   For those that live without a roof of their own, it is pleasant change from -5 degrees and snowing.   With this, you can see that the focus has started to change.   People are asking about waterproof boots, raincoats, and umbrellas.   Staying dry is now the priority, but that can be a tall order during this time of year in Akron, Ohio.   Why is this exciting?    It’s warmer.  The “will I freeze tonight” is becoming less and less of a question.   That is one less thing for someone to worry about.  

As I was talking with people today at our first stop, I felt a bit torn. It’s a similar feeling that I had with Rudy on the good/bad side of things.   It’s nice to see that people are safe.  It’s nice to chat with the same people and get to know them.   It’s hard to realize that they are still in the same difficult situation.   It’s tough knowing that it’s a daily struggle just to survive for some of these people that I feel connected to.   I leave happy and less concerned than I have been in weeks past, but a bit sad at the same time.

The second stop usually consists of slightly shorter interactions, but quantity increases at least 10-fold.   Even with the rapid fire interactions and the wide cross section of people, I feel that I really am still able to learn about and connect with some of them.   There is a bond, a friendship, and trust that comes when you open yourself up to talk with people.   In a situation where there is constant fear for health, belongings, and mere survival, it’s an amazing thing to see someone relax for a few minutes.   They feel good for a few minutes.   It’s wonderful to be able to deliver that also.

One of the interactions that was memorable today was with a gentleman that we had ordered boots for.   He is a tall, slender man that I remembered from our last mission as soon as I saw him.   He is very nice, but is quiet.   He has a unique breathing pattern that hinders his ability to speak sometimes.   He needed our patience to get the right information to us so we could find his boots.   We didn’t rush him as there was no need.   We let him do his thing.   I could tell that he really appreciated our willingness to work with him and wait for him.   With some patience, I found his boots buried in bags of requested items and handed them to him.   He must have thanked me 15 times and when he left, held out his hand for a fist bump.   To him, it seemed like a lot to reach out to do that.   To me, it was a connection.     

My lesson today was a reinforcement of a previous one.   Trust...Don’t expect it, work with people and make it a point to earn it.   Trust is the key in all relationships and is well worth it.   I feel that I have earned the trust of some people today.   Although these relationships may not be the ones that get me a corner office overlooking the city, they have a value that I can feel and that I treasure.   

If you haven’t had a fist bump from a homeless person make your day…maybe you should.