Monday, November 28, 2011

Not "Just a Dog" - The Death of My Friend


Don’t you dare say to me-
                                                “He was just a dog”
This friend who I lost today-
                                                Was the best friend I ever had
The best Christmas present I ever received-
                                                Given by a man who loved me enough
To know he could not love me enough
To stop me from drowning in the sorrow of the child I had lost
So he threw me a lifeline in the form of a pup
A warm fuzzy fella whose needs could not be denied
A reason to get up and live again
                                                Because he couldn’t if I didn’t
And even a reason to smile sometimes
                                                When I thought I could never smile again
Once so small he could fit in my coat & we’d sneak him in the store
Before long he outweighed me and on hind legs stood over my head
Through the years, his coat bore enough of my tears
To drown all the humans I’ve ever known
Never once did he complain
                                                Never once was he too busy or too tired
                                                to listen
And he often looked as if he understood every word
And maybe he did; every trick we ever taught him was learned in minutes
And remembered for years
Many nights he slept beside me on a pillow
Snoring and farting like a “regular guy”
He stood firm by my side and protected me from harm
Comforted me through the hard times
And never once turned his back on me or
Stabbed me in the back
while smiling in my face
That is more than I can say of most people –how about you?
So when you see me grieving because he is gone
Think hard before saying “he was just a dog”
My friend and companion, my family, my heart-
He made my world a better place & made me a better person
If “just a dog” can bring so much love & happiness,
What a world this could be if we were all “just a dog”

Thank you Zeus – for every minute of the seven years I had with you.
I will miss you my friend – every day of my life.

My “Spoiled Rottenweiler” – November 16, 2004 – November 28, 2011
Author - Karen Leigh Long
November 29, 2011
DO NOT COPY WITHOUT PERMISSION - PLEASE AND THANKS

Sunday, October 16, 2011

America's Decline - Exchanging Motivation for Mediocrity

It used to be all about being the best. We were told to try hard, excel, and succeed - and if we were able to pull that off, we had the right to enjoy the fruits of our labors. We had the same expectations of our country as we did individual people- growing up I remember a collective feeling of national pride - pride when our astronauts accomplished a mission, pride when our athletes took the gold in the Olympics, pride when our voices were heard and decisions & laws were made because we believed in them.
Boy, things sure are different now, aren't they? I think it all started with standardized testing in the schools. Seriously. Tell a kid they don't have to be the best - just meet the national average & what kid is not going to coast instead of peddling as hard as they can? Those kids are now raising kids & they have either become so complacent or were dumbed-down too much to understand that they were cheated out of the American Dream. The same American Dream our country was founded on, the one that our current government - mediocre to be sure and not even close to average - is trying to erase from our history.
We went from a nation of power and influence to a nation of wimps - politically correct pansies who bend over backward to keep from offending or upsetting anyone else - silencing our own voices and denying the foundations upon which we were built so that everyone else would "like" us - and guess what?? They STILL DON'T LIKE US!! The only difference is that when we were a nation of power and pride we commanded respect - even if it was respect based on fear... NOW THEY NOT ONLY DISLIKE US, THEY WIPE THEIR FEET ON THE DOORMAT THAT IS NOW OUR COUNTRY & LAUGH AT US! They laugh because they know just how far we have fallen from what we were. Yeah, they laugh.... we, as a nation, should cry - and bow our heads in shame.... And while they are bowed maybe say a prayer.... that somehow our nation remember what greatness is and decide that average is not something to strive for, but something to surpass...

My Personal Issue with Smokers (in the Workplace)

I am a minority in my workplace - a non-smoker.  No offense to anyone personally, but I hate smokers. Hate working with you. I watch you walk out of the store at least once an hour, sometimes even more & spend 5-10 minutes because you "have to have a cigarette" - while I am stuck taking care of customers without anyone to help me.
And you can't just go alone - smokers in the workplace seem to like to smoke in groups. Meanwhile, my line is getting longer and longer, I am dying of thirst or need to use the bathroom, but can't because there is no one else in the store! 10 people are in my line already, the phone is ringing, the CAT scale is buzzing in with a truck needing to be weighed, someone's having trouble with the "pay at the pump" card reader, someone wants to buy an item from the display case, someone else needs to send a fax & oh yeah, did I mention I need to use the bathroom?? You can see me in the window, I know you can - but you puff and chat and then come in & make me look incompetent by asking "Why didn't you call for help?" 
Why should I have to call you for help? You can see me, you can see the customer line - I don't have time to call you over the radio, ok? I am doing your job AND mine & trying to do it with a smile & pleasant word for everyone in line.
When you come back inside the building and I tell you I need to go to the ladie's room, you expect me to clock out for a break, yet it is perfectly fine for you to spend an average of an hour a day getting PAID to SMOKE??? That is just messed up.