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A Tail with Two Sides
Bob’s Story
My name is Bob Barker. I am the treasured family companion and keeper of the Schreck household. In addition to writing a regular column in this newsletter, I
also hold a very important position guarding the house and
watching for any suspicious activities outside, in which I am obligated
to report by alerting everyone inside and out.
While
I am usually very attentive, sharp-eyed and able to recall every detail
of an incident, the one I am about to describe to you still baffles me.
It happened on a cold winter’s day, sometime last year. My
memory is not completely clear, but from what I do remember, I was in
my favorite winter spot, next to the fireplace, curled into a ball and
dreaming of Snausages—on a break obviously—when my world was turned
upside down...literally.
I
don’t know what the exact species of the beast was, nor from where it
came, but while I was deep in sleep, I felt the claws of something
large and frightful pluck me from my slumber, and before I knew what
was happening, I was flying through the frigid air and tumbling
into a bank of snow.
By
the time I shook the snow off of my nose and out of my eyes, I turned
to see a very large blur moving back into my house, and the
door slamming behind it.
I
was stunned, helpless and unable to speak. I could not get in to
help my family, so I did the only thing I knew how…I barked like a wild
man!
Our Story
Bob is our oldest dog, and he is a miniature Dachshund-mix. We
named him Bob Barker because we thought that was a perfect name for a
small yappy dog (don’t tell him I said that), but around family and
friends, he’s just Bob. He’s a great dog and everyone loves him, except the neighbors who complain on occasion of his incessant barking.
Bob loves it when I can work from home…most of the time. For him it means better lunch time snacking and curling up near the fireplace or floor heater in my office.
If
you have ever worked from home with a small child or pet, you know the
challenges of trying to maintain a professional image—which I gave up a
few years ago. Between
the UPS deliveries, music blaring, kids running in with homework
questions or injuries and our two dogs, it got to be too
much trying to pretend I worked in a professional office
environment. I have just grown accustomed to working in the midst
of chaos.
My husband, Kirk on the other hand, likes a little more structure and professionalism to his day. To put it simply, he likes silence when he is working from home--which is why he rarely works from home.
Last
year Kirk and I were both working from home on a snowy December
day. I was putting the finishing touches on a writing
project and Kirk was waiting for an important phone call to
come in.
Bob was leisurely napping by the fireplace when the phone rang. On ring number one, Kirk ran like the wind and scooped up Bob. On ring number two, Bob was flying out the back door and woke up when he hit the snowy ground and heard the door slam. On
ring number three, completely out of breath from his Olympic shot-put
throw, Kirk answered the phone, “This is Kirk,” only to have the person
on the other end of the line say, “Oh, I’m sorry. I must have the wrong number.”
Frustrated
with these working conditions, he said he was retreating to our bedroom
to work. He walked upstairs and I looked out the back door to see Bob
still looking dazed and confused.
I guess I should get caller ID on my business phone line...for Bob's sake!
TRIVIA!
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Large balloons first appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927. What was the first character featured?
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How often does the human stomach lining replace itself?
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What year did the Pilgrims have their first Thanksgiving feast? A) 1572 B) 1620 C)1985
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What two items were probably NOT
served at the first feast? A) Corn B) Fish C) Ding
Dongs D) Potatoes E) Dried Fruit
Did you know?
During the 1966 telecast of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Ronald McDonald, the fast-food chain's new mascot, made his first-ever national television appearance.
AND
Four police motorcycles were customized
for the film Easy Rider (1969). One was burned during filming, and the
other three were stolen before filming was completed.
IT's HERE!
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This compilation of stories is sure to be a favorite.
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Other Holiday Gift Ideas:
A Pessimist's Coffee Mug--Now they can
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WISE CRACKS!
On Christmas Eve my father would have
182 beers while putting together our gifts. "Oh look, there are
handlebars on my stereo."
~ Kathleen Madigan
In Wal-Mart I saw a sign advertising a
"Turkey Hunting Clinic." Is that where they show you how to dress
warm and sneak up real quiet and snatch them from the freezer
case?
~Vicki Trembly
RIM SHOT!
In the middle of a chess tournament at
a midtown hotel, the electricity failed and the contestants were forced
to wait in the lobby while repairs were made. After some time had
passed, the conversation among the players turned to past games. It
seemed that each player had only triumphs and awesome feats of skill to
his credit. The talk became louder and more raucous, until a passing
guest stopped a bellman to ask what the commotion was about. "Oh,
nothing much," replied the bellman. "Just chess nuts boasting in an
open foyer."
P O W
(Pearls of Wisdom)
"There are voices which we hear in
solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the
world." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"She is the one person, who can make me lonely just by leaving the room." ~ Former President Ronald Reagan of his wife Nancy.
"All men dream, but not equally. They
who dream by night in the dark recesses of their minds wake to find
that it is vanity. But dreamers of the day are dangerous people, for
they act out their dreams with open eyes to make them possible." ~T.E.
Lawrence
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Privacy Deprivation
I know last month I talked about the
perils of dining alone and living out of my suitcase for so much of the
year, but less than a month later I sit here already feeling the
effects of privacy deprivation.
To read a complete article I am
finding that I must hide away somewhere. Even my bathroom is not
secure. My children seem to wear radar detectors that send a
signal to them when I go into my room to try and enjoy a quiet bubble
bath, to read, or even go to the restroom.
I have been hiding out at the library
this past week to get reading done instead of sitting in my
office at home. I have also started going on long walks
with Bob and Arwen (our dogs) again to clear my head.
Perhaps it is a re-entry phase after
being on the road so much. I did wake up screaming when my
eight-year-old came into the room the other night, because I
thought someone was breaking into my hotel room. I said I was not
used to someone walking into my room in the middle of the
night. My husband reminded me that we still had children at
home, but wondered why I wasn't startled by a man sleeping next to
me all night!
When I was younger, spending time
alone was right up there with getting a root canal, in my book
anyway. I hated being alone. And I certainly did not enjoy
silence. I would always drive with the radio on and if I were
home alone, I usually had the television or radio on as background
noise.
Perhaps after twenty years with
children in my midst, my soul is craving times of silence and
reflection. I have found that I must carve out time to be alone
to clear the mental clutter that accumulates so quickly in my
chaotic world.
Silence allows our mind to sort
through the activities of our day and file the important events or
memos. Without this time, our "in-basket" becomes a heap of
trash, and we cannot think straight or find critical pieces of
information when needed.
Take some time this week to be alone
with your thoughts, in total silence. It can be on a
30-minute walk or driving home from work with the radio off. My
favorite time of solitude is in the morning 30-45 minutes before anyone
else wakes up.
In a world full of interruptions and
activities pulling for your attention, you must carve out some private
time to be alone at least once or twice a week. Try it--you'll be
surprised what you will hear yourself saying.
ASK BOB
A Regular Column on Relationships by Man's Best Friend
Q: My husband and I
have been married for six years and I feel as if we are in
danger. While I know that I still love him, I find myself
irritated by every little thing he does, from chewing very loudly, to
the way he slouches when he walks. I know I am being nit-picky,
but I can't seem to find anything positive in our relationship any
more. I think I have fallen out of love. Help!
A: First I'd like to say,
you are not alone. Many humans complain about
falling "out of love" which I never really understood, since love is
not a bed or an airplane that you can fall out of. It is a
feeling just like hunger, which I feel several times a day, or
like anger when another dog takes my bone. Love is a feeling that
comes and goes. It is unrealistic to think you could maintain
that feeling of being "in love" for years. I believe what
marriage is about is commitment, friendship
and selflessness. Sure, things are going to irritate
you about someone that you have been living with for
six years--Someone in our house brought home Arwen, a giant German
Shepherd, two years ago and believe me, I can give you a list of
irritations a mile long when it comes to her, but that doesn't
mean I don't love her (just don't tell her).
Hold a piece of dog food (or anything small) out at arm's
length. This represents your husband's irritations or
negative qualities--they've always been there. Now go out and
look at the sun. The size of the sun represents his positive
qualities (you may not feel that way right now, but you did at one
time). Understand the longer you live with someone, the closer, or
more intimate you get with every little detail of them. If you move the
dog food close to your eyes it will surely block the view of the
sun. The point is, you are focusing so closely on the
negative qualities in your husband that you are blocking out the view
of anything positive. Make a list of all the positive
qualities you can think of, even if it is a short list. Now make a
point to tell him what you love about him and how you love it when
he spends time with you. (Don't get into what you don't
love.) Don't do it expecting something in return--it's called
SELFLESSNESS.
Everyone has negative qualities, but we are often blinded to them by
the brilliant rays of all the things we love and admire. It
is only over time that the sound of chewing begins moving too close to
our eyes (or ears in your case), and the cute way he
walks becomes annoying. If all else fails, place his bowl
outside like we do for Arwen and walk in front of him so you can't see
him slouch.
Bob "Barker" is the faithful companion to
the Schreck family and resides in Littleton, Colorado. Like most
dogs, Bob is a relationship expert and would love to answer your
questions. Just send mail to Bob@schrecktalk.com
Monthly Challenge!
Make a list this month of all you have to be grateful for. It will help to add to this list and review it on tough days.
On small cards, write out something you
appreciate about each person that will sit around your Thanksgiving
table. Before you dig into that feast, have each person read
their card!
Answers to Trivia:
1. Felix the Cat
2. Every three days--it's a good thing too, especially around the holidays.
3.
1620 (Although the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1619, it wasn't
until the following year that they had a feast of Thanksgiving.)
4. C & D --I believe Ding Dongs were at the second feast!
© 2004
Feel free to forward this to all of your friends, family members and even those you don’t particularly care for!
It may not be sung in a high school play,
written in sand on beaches west of Belize or photocopied without our permission though, so for reprint permission, please call 303-978-0887.
"Random Thoughts" is a monthly email distributed by The Pinnacle Group & SchreckTalk Keynotes. www.Schrecktalk.com
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