Tag: #remotely

Walking the Dog(s)

If you spend enough time with anyone, you can learn lot about them.  The same is true with your pets.  As you already know, I have been spending a lot of time with my dogs.  Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, I spend most of my time with my dogs these days. 

Yes, my family and I are sheltered in place.  But my son, while a full-time college student, is also an essential employee with his job at the local hardware store.  So he goes to work and he has been working a lot. When he is not at work, he is doing his on-line class work since the schools are effectively closed down for the year. 

My husband and I are both working remotely.  He is a teacher and I am an advancement professional.  While we see each other throughout the day, we are typically involved with work or other projects.  We are not spending all day, everyday together.  But the dogs and I are together – almost the entire day.  I am learning more about them, their personalities, their moods, their likes and dislikes, their schedule, etc. 

We go for daily walks.  In fact, we typically take our “lunch” hour going for our afternoon walk.  Eve and Charlie get the first walk.  It is normally a little bit longer because they both enjoy the walk and can handle it.  We typically do about 2.5 miles.  Ruby and Bailey get the second walk.  This one is a bit shorter because Ruby does not appreciate the vigorous walk that counterparts do, and well, Bailey is still very much a puppy at 4 months old.  Their walk is approximately 1.5 miles.  Lately, I have started taking Bailey and Charlie on an evening walk after dinner.  They are the youngest and seem to have the most energy, so I think that evening walk has been beneficial for both of them.

Resting after their walks

I am learning quite a bit about my dogs during these walks. The way they react to the prospect of the walk, their demeanor while walking, their attention to their surroundings, the pace of the walk, etc. 

Eve, our oldest dog at 6 ½ years, loves her walks.  We affectionately call her “Go Dog” because she simply will not stop.  As soon as I get her collar and leash, she gets excited.  And when I say excited, think puppy excited, to the point that she will sometimes bark, giving me a WooWooWoo.  She is a bit of spaz about it.  She prefers a quicker pace and would walk until she drops.  However, she is easily distracted by other dogs she encounters on our walks and regaining her attention can be a challenge.

Ruby, our second oldest dog is 3 ½ years old.  I truly believe she only goes on walks because she is afraid she might be missing out on something.  Therefore, we call her “Me Too”.  She is not really all that excited about the prospect of the walk.  She prefers that the walks be shorter, and she really just can’t wait to get back home so she can lie in sun or look out the window.  Ruby’s pace is all over the place from a very slow gait at the beginning of our walk, to a faster pace as we approach the end.  I swear she knows it’s almost over and just wants to be done with all of it. She is strong-willed yet easily distracted especially by noises and other dogs.  She will let you know where she wants to go, which is usually home.

Bailey, our nearly 4 month old puppy, is still learning the finer points of the walk.  While she loves the walk, I think she loves the exploring (her name at the rescue was Dora – The Explorer for good reason), she was not initially fond of having to get her collar on.  But now she handles that like a champ.  She prances when we walk and sometimes takes to little running bursts.  That must be the exuberance of her youth.  But being a puppy, she is easily distracted by sounds, sights, smells, basically everything.  She tries to stop frequently to smell something or look at something but is soon pulled along by her canine sibling.

Charlie, our 7 month old, is our only male dog.  He loves his walks.  My husband even says he walks best on the leash and that’s saying something.  You see, Charlie is truly my dog which you would know if you read my blog Love at First Sight. I think all the boys in my house might be a little jealous of Charlie.  But Charlie’s whole focus is the walk.  That is all he wants.  He is great about getting his collar on and waits patiently for me hook on the leash.  He is not much concerned with other dogs he might encounter, he couldn’t careless about people, and while he is constantly sniffing the air, he never stops once to investigate a scent.  He just walks at the perfect pace, right next to me and looks up lovingly at me, like each moment of that walk is the best moment of his life. 

Yes, I was reflecting on all of this while I was walking the dogs today, when Eve, Charlie and I snuck out in between rain showers and when Ruby, Bailey and I got caught in a spring shower on the way home.  I truly believe each dog gets something different out of the walk because of the way they approach it, enter into it and experience it.

As I was walking Charlie and Bailey this evening, I realized that our prayer life and our relationship with God is the same.  We each experience something different in our prayer lives and from our relationship with God based on how we approach it, how we enter into it, and how we experience it.  And it can be different every single day. 

If I enter into prayer preoccupied with or worried about other things, my relationship with God suffers.  Much like Eve’s walk suffers when she encounters and becomes anxious about other dogs, her walk is not as fulfilling because she is preoccupied by that dog.  If I feel hurried or rushed during prayer, just trying to get through it; again, I suffer because I am not getting the most out of that time with God.  Like Ruby rushing to get through the walk just to get home.  She is missing out on the joy of the actual walk just like I am missing out on the joy of spending time with God.  If I am distracted by things that I need to do, errands that I need to run or chores that I need handle, then my prayer life suffers.  Like Bailey, who although young, is missing out on the joy of the walk because of all of the distractions around her, vying for her attention that she just can’t seem to block out.  But when we enter into prayer with focus, with our relationship with God at the center, we can get the most out of that time.  Like Charlie, who is not concerned with everything else going on around him; whose only focus is that walk.  He is getting the most out of each and every step.

So today, let us not worry or be preoccupied with other thoughts, let us not rush or be hurried, let us not be distracted.  Today let us turn our entire focus on God, for just ten minutes, and see how much more we get out of that time of prayer and our relationship with God.  Please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you. 

Jet Trails, Saturday Afternoon Walks, and Beauty

I took the dogs for a walk on Saturday afternoon, just like I have been doing everyday since we have initiated “shelter in place” in Ohio in the midst of COVID-19. With four dogs, I have to split the walks into two shifts.  Eve and Charlie get the first walk, then I return home and make the exchange.  Ruby and Bailey get the second walk.  During those walks, I pray a rosary and a Divine Mercy Chaplet. 

Tired dogs after their walk.

If you were out in eastern Ohio on Saturday afternoon, you know just how beautiful the day was.  I spent most of those walks appreciating the beauty that was awakening all around me.  The trees are beginning to bud and the daffodils have bloomed in full force.  The forsythia is beginning to flower (I have a love/hate relationship with that plant) and the hyacinths have opened.  And the sky, the sky was the color of sapphires.  There were no jet trails streaking across the vast blue, no pollution making crisscrossed marks through the heavens.  The skies were clear and azure with some puffy white clouds dotting God’s vast canvas.

jet trails crossing the sky before COVID-19

It was in that moment that realized just how busy our lives have become, how filled with self-importance. So much so that we fail to notice the beauty that is all around, or maybe we notice it but just take it for granted.    

I walk a lot, and most of the time it is with my dogs.  And although I am normally praying while I am walking, I often get distracted by other things.  Thoughts will creep into my mind about work, or family, or relationships; about the political climate and the division within our society, or about a thousand other random thoughts that enter my mind.  I become preoccupied and consumed by those thoughts, lose track of what I am doing and fail to notice the beauty that is all around me.

With the onset of COVID-19, the shelter in place and the stay at home order, everyone has been forced to slow down – whether they want to or not.  Schools are closed until May.  All non-essential businesses have been closed.  There are no masses or Sunday services. The banks are operating as drive-thru banking only.  Restaurants are closed for dine-in options, but you can still get to-go orders.  There are fewer cars on the roadways, and rush hour is no more. The lack of jet trails shows us just how things have changed in the US.  Air traffic has become virtually non-existent.  And to think a few weeks ago, most of us could not live without traveling somewhere by plane. 

I am an advancement professional, so travel is a big part of what I do.  But all travel has been put on hold.  We are to practice social distancing, not to congregate in groups outside of our family structure (that is family living within the same household), and only go out of the house for essentials.  Somehow, we have all learned how to adjust to these changes.  We are meeting virtually, making more phone calls, sending more emails.  Yes, it is challenging. For some it is very challenging as they may be facing unemployment during this time.   Or they may be an “essential” employee who is required to report to work daily even with the threat of the coronavirus.  The uncertainty of all of it is stressful.

My new co-worker

But we have seen some really beautiful things as a result of the situation in our country. And I am not just talking about the beauty of spring unfolding before us and finally having the time to appreciate it. I’m talking about community and family. Neighbors checking on each other. People donating to strangers to help them through these unsure times. Virtual gatherings to help keep people connected. Healthcare workers volunteering to go serve in areas that have been hardest hit. Families taking daily walks and bike rides together. Teachers calling to check up on their students. More dinners together around the table. Real conversations. Prayer.

Sleepy puppy. Walks wear her out..

As I walked the dogs again today, I reflected once more on the lack of jet trails and wondered if it was really necessary.  All of the travel, all of the time commitments and time constraints, all of the things that we fill our lives with that seem to be so important.  Somehow, we are getting by without jetting across the country for a meeting.  We have learned how to do our jobs remotely. We can see the value of a meaningful phone call and genuine conversation and know the importance of a simple text message.  We have slowed down and learned to appreciate each other.  And hopefully we have learned to appreciate all of those “essential” people that we take for granted on a daily basis, the local small business owners, the retail workers, store clerks and gas station attendants, the truck drivers and farmers, the doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals; all of those essential employees that still have to go into work so we have what we need to live.

It may sound strange, but in this crisis, I have found a joy and peace that seems strange.  The slower pace, the quieter atmosphere, the return to home and family, the way people are looking out for each other and helping each other out; it has been reassuring to me about the goodness and kindness that exists in all humanity. Unfortunately, it has taken a pandemic for so many of us to stop, slow down and see each other. 

Spring sunset

It does make me wonder what will happen when all of this is resolved.  Will we go back to the breakneck pace that we were living?  Will we fill our lives once again with meaningless nonsense and lose sight of all that is truly important?  Will we stop praying and throw God out of our lives once again? Or will we remember the kindness and gratitude we showed to each other? Will we continue to check on each other and build meaningful relationships with one another?  Will we continue to pray for and with one another and connect regardless of distance?

It is my hope that we all learn something from this pandemic and be better than we were before it began.  So today, let’s continue to slow down, reach out, help one another, say thank you, connect with each other, and praise God.  And as always, please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.