Nola from NOLA

“Dogs’ lives are short, too short, but you know that going in. You know the pain is coming, you’re going to lose a dog, and there’s going to be great anguish, so you live fully in the moment with her, never fail to share her joy or delight in her innocence, because you can’t support the illusion that a dog can be your lifelong companion. There’s such beauty in the hard honesty of that, in accepting and giving love while always aware that it comes with an unbearable price.” – Dean Koontz


Today we had to put our sweet dog, Nola to sleep. She was old and suffering and as hard as it was, it had to be done. We had the vet come to our house and even then, I questioned whether we were making the right decision.

Animals are lucky in that they don't understand that life is so fragile and finite. For humans we know that there is a beginning and an end and all the things that come in between those two points. All Nola knew were the things that came in between those two points; the love, the food, the treats, the toys, the smells, the walks, the hugs, the kisses and being part of a pack who adored and protected her.

 Nola came from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina of 2005 (hence the name). She traveled in an 18 wheeler with a whole lot of other dogs to our local Pet Smart. I happened to be buying dog food at the store the day that she and all her truck mates were on "display". I fell love with her when I saw her sweet face and funny looking body. When the volunteer asked me if I'd be so kind as to walk her, I was hooked. Nola was Basset, Corgi, Lab, Beagle and Dachshund.  She had recently had puppies and dearly missed her babies who were rescued from the hurricane and never seen again.

We brought her home and she fit right in with her doggie sister Rosie and cat sister, Kittie. She had heart worms, wasn't fixed, had thyroid problems and ultimately liver problems. She had arthritis and warts but we loved her with all of our hearts.

 


 
I would often look at various social media groups about missing Hurricane Katrina pets. I was afraid to say anything in case someone would stake claim to her and demand that she be returned. Looking back now I know that I'd never return her. We were smitten.

Nola thought I was her mom or maybe she thought that she was my mom. Whatever the case, she followed me around and even when resting would constantly lift her head to gaze over at me. I'd tell her that I was fine and she'd rest for 10 more minutes or so and then lift her head in my direction again.
  

                                    I'm ok Nola, or at least I'll be ok a little bit later.

You can go freely into the sweet night and run like a puppy again. We will always love you and think about the sweet, quirky pup that you were. You were loved fiercely and abundantly. 


And we will miss you forever.

Yoga Intentions and the Job Search

As I have written before, I’m a strong advocate of benefits of yoga especially as it relates to focusing within my body, mind and spirit. I try to attend a class at least once a day and have found that it has not only strengthened my body but it has positively impacted my business in that I am more focused and energized.

One of the more meaningful parts of yoga is to set an intention at the beginning of the practice. An intention is something that you set in your heart and mind and hopefully carry with you after your practice. It is an aspiration that you can carry from the classroom into your life. I’ve used a variety of intentions in my yoga practice; and sometimes choose the same one day after day. One of those is the word, “Focus”. I tend to get distracted and my mind rushes non- stop. Sometimes it makes it difficult to concentrate or remember the words and phrases I need for writing a resume or giving job search coaching. On days that I feel that I am losing my edge I use the word “Focus” as my intention.

Today in yoga class I selected the word “Acceptance”. In my yoga poses or asanas I used my intention if I was hard on myself for not perfectly managing a pose. I then forgave myself and moved on. As we wound up the practice and came to our final pose or Savasana, I repeated my intention in my mind again. Acceptance. My mind then floated to the deeper life areas that I needed to Accept. 

Driving home I continued to think about Acceptance and came up with many examples within my family, friends, work and life. I thought of past and current relationships, I thought back to when I lost my job, I thought of things that frustrated me because I couldn’t change them. I thought of my clients who may be beating themselves up because they feel as if they screwed up an interviewing response or maybe turned down a position that they felt (at the time) wasn’t right for them. It happened, life happens… Acceptance.

Yoga isn’t for everyone but the process of thinking deeply about an intention, especially Acceptance is beneficial to everyone. If you are looking for a new job or career, think about what you have or haven’t done in the past to get you to that position. If you had a few mishaps along the way Accept them and think about what you might have said or done better. And move on.