Of Men and Mice

The best laid schemes o' mice and men

often go awry

     Being a visionary IS important.  

Even if the best laid plans can change in life. 

 We also must hone our skills of flexibility. 

"All my pictures seem to fade to black and white"

-Elton

       So what should we do when we plan and envision a pathway that does not occur.  'Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.'  Enjoy the journey.  Have faith that things are as they should be.  And your pathway is leading you in the right direction.  

      I love this expedition.  One has only so much control over the outcome.  Peace is not loneliness. That has been a big epiphany for me this week.  Peace is not loneliness.  And I really like peace.

Let life happen vs. make life happen

Ok here's the question.  Just let life happen vs make life happen.  From a religious view, is it the Calvinistic approach that when you are born your pathway has already been predestined, so just hold on an enjoy the ride.  Or rather God helps those who help themselves?  If you're not overtly religious,  maybe the PS analogy of going through life/training as an artist is more for you.  Your style can be either paint by numbers, impressionist, or all the way to the abstract.  Your style in how you approach life, is also the same style that you will train and relate to your dogs.... or approach your work/career.....or your home life.

This, indeed, was the question of the weekend.  My answer.....  I think the way that one approaches life has a lot to do with their personality and their background.  Without getting totally psycho-analytical on the topic, it is a key answer to people's style/approach to training, goals for training, and their need for "team"/success.

When I do interviews to fill a position in my business, I look for good people.  I let them do most of the interview.  They tell me about themselves.  Most people are very honest if you listen.  I like emotional intelligence and honesty, amongst many other intangibles.  I always ask - "have you played a team sport?" The answer usually dictates if they will have long term success in my business.  My point that I am trying to make is that people who are from more of a team back ground tend to be more goal oriented, with give and take built in.  Not always.  But if you set a goal, work hard as a team, use intelligent strategy, most often times you will find success.  Let me clarify for the peanut gallery, success comes in many forms it does not always have to be via winning.

So let life happen vs make life happen???  I am definitely more of a visionary make life happen kind of person.  I do believe that on the journey of life you have to also compromise and be flexible, as not to break when things do not go your way.  But that does not sway me one bit from envisioning the pathway that I walk down.  I can not say if I am right or if I am wrong, I believe that we are all different in our styles and in what we deem important in our lives.  It is right for me at this time.  I tend to like all art.  A perfect paint by numbers...I can appreciate.  But I like a piece that speaks to your soul and draws you into it.  A piece that has a deeper meaning, that a passerby would most likely not "get".

I have large distain for those who do nothing and blame others for their misery.  It is very difficult for me to feel compassion for an individual who has a "victims mentality" in life.  You see that more so with people who cling to the just let life happen approach.  They never take responsibility for the consequences that tend to come their way.  It's not their fault.

I feel sadness for those who have no vision.  I think a life without evaluation or direction is just wandering lost in a wilderness.  Yes, good things still happen and one might be able to enjoy that in the moment.  But it is more like color crayons than a great masterpiece.

In closing, I feel that you can still live in the moment, actualizing the good/bad and still have vision for the future.  It must be a balance.  If your eyes are always forward or backward...then you miss the beautiful day.

Spin.  How does this relate to training and relating to your dogs.  I think it is very much style related.  I think that you have vision for you individual dog.  You plot your pathway accordingly.  When you spend timeless hours communicating and working toward that goal you will hit obstacles.   When you reach an obstacle this is where emotional intelligence comes into play.  You can't force things to happen.  This is when you have to let things happen.  When the window is open for learning, it must be recognized and the appropriate style should ensue to bridge that gap.  Yes, with all of this said, still keeping your eye on the goal.  Not every individual (dog, handler, or said team) will reach that goal.  Their destiny may be different.  That is the ride.  It is up to us to do our best on that day for our dog and ourselves.  It may not be the dog who is failing the team.  And the flip side is that you as a handler may be a success to just reach that level.  Keep being aware.

It's a jungle out there

     So I tend to do some of my best thinking and reflecting in the shower.  I feel that after my morning coffee and hot shower.... it's all downhill from there.  Not really.  But I love my morning routine.  Innately in my younger years I would sleep until 10am and stay awake until 2-3am.  I never had the luxury of living my diurnal-nocturnal lifestyle.  Now my early mornings are treasured as the peaceful "my time" of the day.

     Reflecting this morning I thought about how I seemed to always relate to the chameleon.  Throughout my life I stayed very diverse and flexible.  In college my focus, unfortunately, was to play collegiate basketball.  Oh yah, and get an education.  In that order.  It boiled down to my choice of a full ride academic scholarship to UNLV with a major in Hotel Management and red shirt my first year on a Division I team  OR  a full ride athletic/academic to a private college CBU and  be back up point guard right away, on a potential championship team.  Well that was a no brainer.  And being the Chameleon that I was, I could blend and excel at either place I was certain.

     I believe it wasn't a case of arrested development, but more so a case of a shiny mirror.  What you see, is what you want to see.  If I was out dancing at a night club, I fit in.  If I was sitting in a church pew, I fit in.  If I was leading a fast break in a playoff game, I fit in.  If I was a park ranger at Lake Tahoe, I fit in.  If  I was at a fundraising benefit dinner wearing a sequin dress, I fit in.  If I was horsepacking in the Teton Wilderness, I fit in.  If I was playing beer pong, I fit in.  If I was doing a rectal exam on a cow...... well let's not go there.

     I am happy that I am at a point in my own evolution that I am not so worried about blending in or what other people think so much anymore.  With a few wrinkles and a few grey hairs (we are sticking with only a few) I am more concerned about living fully and truly.  Not that I ever  REALLY worried too much about what others thought, but maybe more on the perception of my character.  Carrying the heavy anvil of my "perfection" goal, became insanely heavy to my soul in my overworked/overwrought middle years. Mortality issues trumped perception issues, and it just didn't matter anymore.  I think one day, I just hung up my Chameleon jacket and started sporting my inner colors.  I like the analogy of choosing Carnelian over Chameleon.

The pursuit of truth and beauty is 

a sphere of activity

in which we are permitted to remain

children all of our lives.

-Albert Einstein

The truth is incontrovertible.

Malice may attack it,

ignorance may deride it,

but in the end,

there it is.

-Winston Churchill

This above all:

To thine own self be true, 

and it must follow, 

as the night the day.

Thou canst not then

be false to any man.

-Hamlet, Shakespeare 

Our life is what our thoughts 

make it.

-Marcus Aurelius
(Notice, no Dr. Theodor Seuss quotes)

New Years Blog

     2011 was a challenging year of change and personal growth.  I do believe, in the circle of life, everyone at one time or another, travels through these eddies.  How one responds to these challenges is the fiber that is woven together to create your character.  In ones own personal commitment to drink deeply from the well spring of life, we invite both good and bad to pass by our paw prints on our own personal path with less wear.

     I can reflect on 2011 and bid it a fond farewell with my belt a little tighter, my heart a little softer, my appreciation of the moment a little more aware, and my fiber a little taughter.

Counting Blessings

     Most importantly, I found an appreciation of the NOW.  Most great philosophies evolve around a premise of living in the moment.  Finding a peace and contentment that permeates through your being. Not sacrificing your vision.  Just not living in the someday.  Not being one much for religious gatherings, I have found peace in training my dogs in remote fields and mountain foothills.  And also in riding my horses solo away from cell phone coverage.  My favorite Uncle Howard always said he found his religion on high narrow trails.

     Chided by life's demands and human energy suckers, I took a step back.  Partly for self preservation, and partly out of necessity, I retreated. I found the large number of energy bandits, were REALLY annoyed. The individuals made from their own clay were NOT.  Now I know.  And yes, it counts big. Thank you to those who stayed.

     2011's challenges were good.  I released a lot of my life, some was chosen and some not so much.  I found friends from all walks of life and diversities that know without saying.  I gained a source of renewable peace and clean/pure energy revitalization.  I found happiness from internal resources, with a few extra tail wags, externally.  In extracting my parasitic relationships, I can have better focus on my healing energy and arts, and continue stumbling down the pathway of my journey.

"The objection to conforming to usages

that have become dead to you,

is that it scatters your force.

It loses your time

and blurs the impression

of your character."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

2012 RESOLUTIONS 

     In the early 80's I made a resolution that every year I would do something new.  Of course the way life unfolds, that has happened without much effort.  I look forward to whatever is new on the horizon. The cultured and refined.  The raw and gritty.  The unexpected.  "This should be interesting" - (My Dad's last words to me before passing).

     I wish for all my clay brick worthy friends, a WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!!!  And I wish for all my yellow jello shot friends, a new chance to get it right....what ever that means for you on your journey.  (I am still pulling for you!)

Ann wants to know!!

My friend Ann at Suntrip Samoyeds 

& 2 Border Collies, asked some

questions for handlers who trial,

who work home flocks or 

commercial flocks.

Ann wants to know..... What is YOUR perfect dog-blog.

• Do you like a dog that is really on the muscle?

Muscle to me means strength without biddability. That kinda scares me.  I like the idea of muscle, but I would like a dog to only flex it when s/he needs to.  And I would kinda like to be the one to grant that permission.

• Do you like a dog that needs a steady stream of whistles?

At this point I am a special-ed short bus whistler.  I am not sure if I am going to use my fingers or not.  I have tried a plethora of varietals in the whistle vineyard, and still it doesn't magically happen.  So for me personally, I think less is more.  However, I am intrigued with the melody of the constant whistler and the Ferrari they are driving on the field.  I think that might distract me from the sheep.

• Are you a maximal or minimal whistler?

I think that I am sub-minimal right now.  But I hope to develop that as I evolve.  As a beginner, I am putting more emphasis on my mind-melding communication (sometimes mind-melting) with my dog.  As we develop and are on the same page with some consistent language, then I will infuse the whistle, as not to confuse the team even more.  

• Do you like a natural dog that feels the sheep and just needs a little direction here and there?

Yup.  And if they would just do my taxes too, that would be great.  Seriously, there is no substitute for the genome.

• Do you like a dog that prefers a certain type of sheep?

I guess if I had dogs => sheep, and not sheep=> dogs I would.  But in this instance I would prefer a well rounded dog.  I don't think that is something we get to choose.  I think we have to help our dogs do the best that they can on all accounts, without setting them (and ourselves) up for glooming failure.  Where I might send Val, is not at this time where I might send Ben.  But someday that might change.

• Do you like a dog that wants to partner up and be a really good team player?

Absolutely.  This is all about the team aspect.  And I also need to partner up my end of the bargain and seek what my teammate needs from me.  Be it in..... training, reading the field, reading the sheep, and finding the correct venues.  The journey is about commitment.  The goal is teamwork, at least in my book.

• Do you like a dog that really knows what s/he wants and you, as a handler really has to manage?

I think every dog is different and comes with a different genetic and environmental package.  I think it is our job to help that dog/handler team find success.  Lily, for example is very successful!!!  In my eyes she is so happy to go out and play with the sheep on her own terms (peacefully).  I am good with that.  That is who she is, and that is who I have created.  For me to change those expectations now, would be setting the team up for failure. She helps me move cows... and snuggles, that is her real job.  The mistakes I made there, I will try not to repeat.  As a team, we have to manage each other.

• Do you want push?

I think some push is better than none, but like everything in life.... in moderation.   Too much push scares me.  I get flash backs of fear, that Lily would "push" the cows (cuz that's what we started on) off the ranch, through the subdivision and onto the golf course.  And the level of trouble I would be in with my family would be.....let just say.... not good!!!

• Do you want a good listener?

Yes of course.  And my dog wants a handler that is a good stock reader too.  When I read and react better and quicker, I think my dogs will also listen better.  I am a bit of a control freak, which stymies my dogs evolution.  I know this.  So I have to let go a little and let us make the mistakes, so we can learn from them.  That, for me, is the hard part.

• Do you want try? (not tri)

Yes of course.  And if I expect it of them, they expect it of me.  Having heart is the key to everything. More so than winning!!!!  If you get out and try and your dog gives you everything they have .... on that day, what more could you ask for?  I think the secret is to set the team up for success.  Don't ask Lily to run open field at Zamora.... just sayin'.

• Do you like a dog who gets the job done, no matter the sheep, but it's a big job to get the dog to listen?

No, not really.  If it is a job, and I'm processing stock, that would aggravate me.  If it is on the trial field, then I think it depends on the handlers personality.  Some people can yell, holler, and whistle until they are blue in the face.... walk off the field and it doesn't even affect them.  I'm not one of them.  I want it to be fun, for me and the dogs!  I want to reach the "Zone".  That doesn't happen with someone constantly yelling at me, and I don't want to be the one constantly nagging someone else.

• Do you want it all?

No not really.  I think ultimately that is the goal to find a dog who is perfect on outrun/lift/fetch, listens, has power that turns off and on, and sensitive a little to boot.  But for me, where I am at in my life, I just want to take my dogs to whatever their level of calling is.  Lily has found hers.  Ben and Val both have strengths and weaknesses.  So do I.  So with each team, we are just going to do the best we can!!!  That doesn't mean we are not going to work hard, that just means we are going to have fun too.

• How does your style as a handler select the dog you like?

Good question Ann.  I think it is about the journey.  People and dogs are not cookie-cutters.  I think the things you like in yourself, you will like in a dog.  The things that you don't like in yourself, you will not like in a dog.  The characteristics we wish we had, we might seek out in a dog.  The fine line is that if we seek a passive dog....we can't be disappointed if they ARE passive.  We just have to find the right place for them to be successful.  It is all a balance.

Just Do It

"The Gods favor the bold"

-Gladiator

"Competition has been shown to be useful up to a 

certain point and no further, 

but cooperation, which is the thing we must

strive for today,

begins where competition

leaves off."

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

"The healthiest competition occurs when

average people win

by putting above average effort."

-Colin Powell

     We have all heard the phrase it is better to be lucky, than good.  It is nice.  It shows humility and makes us feel as if we are being magnanimous to those around us.  And lady luck is always great to have on ones side.  However, I think that practice and hard work makes one lucky.  Our great state of Nevada is somewhat built on the premise of luck.... and gambling.  I think we don't pay state taxes essentially on a human fault.  The ego that thinks that deep down, we are all lucky.  It is human nature that needs to feel like a winner at one level or another.  It is a human validation that needs to be fulfilled, and unfortunately the laws of statistical analysis are ignored.  Math and science are so cold.  While finding the best parking spot, and winning the 'Money Train' make us feel so warm.

     Ultimately like anything else it must be a balance.  Luck is luck.  But perception of lucky is envisioned on usually unknown or unseen sacrifices and deep dedication.  I believe having VISION is more relevant.  I am amazed at how many stumble through life with no vision.  Envision the pathway that you might be able to journey down.  It is your dream, your painting, your story - so to say.  Without vision, we would have never walked on the moon, built huge skyscrapers, or evolved culturally. 


     'God helps those, who help themselves.' I think that in the face of our current economy and state of our country and world, this phrase is very relevant. I know it's hard out there.  But I have a difficult time feeling sorry for those who do not even try.  Do work people!!!  I know at the risk of sounding aged, I can not stand the current level of entitlement.  And entitlement without effort, and no regard for consequence of action.  There is also consequence of inaction.

"Self-entitlement is the honoring of oneself

with no basis and without

acknowledging consequences."

-M.E.

     Vision and luck are nothing without action.  It is better to do something than nothing.  It is better to move forward than to stay stagnant.  Life is dynamic.  "Life is a journey (the hated J-word) and not a destination." So many cliches, so little time.

     

     This is a prologue to my new years blog.  

"I never worry about action, but 

only inaction."

-W. Churchill

"Action expresses priorities."

-Gandhi

"Do you want to know who you are?

Don't ask.

ACT!  

Action will delineate 

and define you."

-Thomas Jefferson

"I'm a woman of very few words, but lots of action"

-Mae West

"We become just by performing just action,

temperate by performing temperate actions,

brave by performing brave action."

-Aristotle 

March Madness

It was high counsel that I once heard

given to a young person- "Always do

what you are afraid to do"

RWE

Take calculated risks.

That is quite different from

being rash.

George S. Patton

After the game

the king and the pawn

go into the same box

-Italian proverb

A good athlete always mentally replays

a competition over and over,

even in victory, to see

what might be done to

improve the performance

the next time.

-Frank Shorter

It is about the game after all now isn't it?? The game of life. The game of work. The game of love. And whatever other realm you chose to enter to compete. The irony is amazing.

So here it is I am starting the parallel journey of competing as a team alongside my dogs, that reflects my evolution as a human. Now that is IRONIC. This is not the first or the last competition that I have encountered. It may be the toughest, that is yet to be foretold. It may be the purest of all competitions. I can train for it in the rain with a flock of soggy ewes, guiding them for hours while they graze... and my mind wanders, but my dog never does.

I have always been competitive. From the time I was very young I have had to strive for survival. Twice before I was 3 I ate toxic substances on our family ranch landing me in ICU in critical situations. I was tough and mean, the nurses didn't like seeing me back a second time. I didn't like seeing them either!!!

March Madness leads us to the big national basketball tournament that happens this time every year. So I will skip to the college basketball playing days. Two of my four years we won our conference tournament and proceeded on the road to the "Big Dance". That level of competition for me was bitter-sweet. Sweet, because it was my 'DREAM', and I was living it. Bitter, because no one can prepare you for that level of intense scrutiny and competition. I love pure competition. But life is not always that pure.

Things I learned to take into life from my college days of competing. I love my team. A true team sticks together through thick and thin. All parts of the team rely on each other, and you truly are only as strong as your weakest link. I learned how to be a "role" player. Even if I thought (and I could) be the ONE.... I was ok with not being the ONE, as long as we were able to succeed. And when the chosen ones failed, I would always fill the role and ensure victory without honor. The closer!!! And that is truly a tough role to play. I learned to be a "decoy". I would do the hard work and run the gambit knowing that I would allow another honor, but ultimately the victory for the team. I was a student of the game. I learned everything forward and backward. I saw nuances that the coach would never see. I set us up for success. And in the end I did not quit!!! The contradiction in that was that I probably should have. At the super high insane stress level that we operated at....being the team captain and point guard I was the easy target for the infuriated coach. He knew I could take anything he would dish out... and I did. To a point, that I actually lost respect for myself. I would not stand up for myself. I would not quit. At what price??? I am still not sure.

However, I take into life, and into my training that there is a higher good. Winning is not the ultimate goal. Purity of competition is. Excellence. The zone. Never compromise yourself or your dog for the game. Always seek the zone.... Not easy to find, but once you've been there, you know!

If you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt very much

and winning in not very exciting.

-Dick Vemeil

The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel

are the things that endure. These qualities

are so much more important than the

events that occur.

-Vince Lombardi

Do not let what you cannot do

interfere with what you can do

-John Wooden

Be more concerned with your character

than with your reputation. Your

character is what you really are

while your reputation is merely what

others think you are.

-John Wooden

I've always made a total effort, even when

the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying;

I never felt that I didn't have a chance to win.

-Arnold Palmer