No, not a giraffe! Everyone should have a friend that makes them feel THIS good. The kind that you feel ridiculously, unreasonably happy to be around. One who doesn't care what you look like, is happy to see you even on a bad day, and you can spend hours talking about anything (or nothing) with. Seriously. I'm lucky enough to have a few in my life, & it is the BEST feeling in the world.
After spending time with them, at times I feel like there's nothing I have to do in life except be happy & breathe.


If you don't have one, you deserve one, and you'd better believe they're out there looking for you too! All I can suggest is, start paying just a little attention to how you feel during and after being with other people. I know we like to think we're above the influence & impervious to our environments... But even so, you'll probably notice that certain people leave you tired. Or drained, or maybe just a little indifferent. Even if you love them, it just feels like hard work so much of the time.


(Real life best friends Owen & Mzee)

And then there are others. Others who leave you happier than they found you. Maybe even feeling warm & fuzzy inside. And a few of those who will lift your spirits and charge your batteries so much that suddenly, anything seems not only possible, but easy. If a dog & an elephant can do it (or a hippo and a galapagos turtle), why can't we!

But if you're still not convinced, don't take my word for it. Read this heart-warming story about real-life best friends Tarra the elephant and Bella the dog. They live together at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennesee. Then, notice the warm fuzzy feeling in your heart.

That's what i'm talking about!

Labels: Best Friends, friendship, girlfriends, tarra and bella

Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I posted. What can I say, a handicapped wiener dog with a tour schedule and costume changes is a really hard act to follow! I hope you are feeling the warmth of spring by now. In OKC, it is blooming and nesting and pollinating with such vigor that I had to go get a stronger allergy prescription. In honor of spring, I just wanted to share my favorite poem by ee cummings:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

To that, I would add: now the heart of my heart, and the soul of my soul are awakened.

Happy Easter & happy Spring!

Layla

Labels: ee cummings, poems, spring

Hey y'all!
After my last post about the Vicktory Dogs, I realized we could all use a little more positive news in our lives. With all the distressing things going on, sometimes you just need a reminder that there are good people doing good things in the world. So, i'm going to add a "positive news" page to my blog (coming soon), & start collecting them there. Some may view this as a denial of how urgent the world situation is, but I disagree. IMHO, it's encouragement for sensitive, empathetic people to keep trying rather than giving up on the world--for example, hiding in bed all day eating Cheetos & watching Jerry Springer, waiting for the eventual demise of humanity (okay, that is a slight exaggeration, but believe me, some of the news stories from Rwanda made me want to do exactly that). So if you see a hopeful, encouraging story to share, please feel free to email it to me at layla.fowler@gmail.com! Then, when we need a little boost, they'll be there.

Now, here' s a great story I came across just by serendipity. It's about Frankie, a wiener dog (oops, I mean Daschund) from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. After Frankie's back legs were paralyzed in an accident, owner Barb Techel helped her learn to walk with a wheeled dog cart. Not only is Frankie back to doing almost everything she did on four legs, she is sharing the love as a therapy dog. She visits schools, giving kids a chance to talk about disabilities & overcoming obstacles. She visits senior homes and hospice patients, & in her stylish get-ups i'm sure she is a BIG hit (is there ANYTHING cuter than dogs in costumes? Not in my book!).

Frankie has her own book ghost-written by Barb (Frankie the Walk 'N Roll Dog, available on Amazon), blog, website (www.joyfulpaws.com), & a tour schedule worthy of the Rolling Stones. Here is an adorable slideshow on YouTube showing before & after her accident, you may need a hanky though!

How great for a change to read about a kind, responsible pet owner. Also, I love hearing stories about someone taking what seems like a handicap or obstacle & making something good out of it. My fav life coach Martha Beck said it best: life is a benevolent process where bad things are always meant to create good things. You can argue with that if you wish, but it is really no more arbitrary than believing the worst. Which would you prefer?

Rock on, Frankie and Barb!!!

Labels: Barb Techel, disabled pets, Frankie the Walk 'n Roll Dog, therapy dog