A Blessed Life September 19, 2014

It was the strangest thing. There I was, walking along a familiar street wearing my same collar with my tags that read Wiley C. Schmidt. I was wearing the same walking harness I’ve had since forever too. I had the same leash attached, and I was wandering around the same neighborhood I have come to know and love.

But when I looked up at my forever mom, she was brand new to me. Even though I obviously know everything a dog can know about his person, it was like I had never seen her before.

And that’s when I woke up.

Sometimes my dreams scare me. I know that sometimes people perceive whimpering while sleeping as a doggie daydream of all kinds of goodness. For me, that is rarely the case. I think maybe it’s because of the grief I still bear in my heart over losing my mom and brothers at such a young age or the homeless loneliness that followed. Or the denial I have in my heart about being returned to the humane society or being abused by the man with the leather belt. These are the things that haunt me in my sleep. These are the things I whimper about.

That is, until today, when I had the oddest dream I’ve ever been able to recall. It was like everything was familiar but I was meeting my dear forever mom for the very first time. And I won’t lie. That isn’t the worst thing to dream about in comparison to the usual.

I remember the day often. It was hotter than normal in Wisconsin, but that didn’t stop my would-be forever family from visiting me that day. I also can’t believe that was more than four people years (or the equivalent of almost 30 doggie years) ago. But alas, it was, and it is a day for which I frequently feel blessed.

“Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another,” suggested English writer George Eliot.

It might have evolved out of the strangest thing, but Eliot’s words ring true for me. I’ve seen what joy looks like through the eyes of love. I’ve seen what it’s like to live my life. And I love every single moment. Because, in my humble doggie opinion, that is what it means to lead a blessed life.

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No Place Like Home May 27, 2013

Wiley’s daydreams was on the short list of other possible names for this blog. I spend the majority of my time either daydreaming or dreaming in my sleep, so I thought it would be a clever way to illustrate all those thoughts in my little doggie mind.

Then the day happened that brought inspiration in the most unexpected of ways. Snow had been falling from the sky laying a beautiful blanket of sparkly diamonds on my backyard, and it came to me. My mom was so excited to get outside and play with me, she threw away caution with wild abandon, and she laughed. Oh dog, did she laugh to the point I wasn’t sure which came first – her joy or mine.

In that moment, it didn’t matter which came first. I felt such an overwhelming burst of joy I couldn’t help but want to find a way to share it with the world. Just as joy fell from the sky that day, I wanted to bring my perspective of joy to the world from the ground up.

That is among the reasons I know now with complete certainty I wouldn’t change the name, nor the path that brought me to where I am today. But that doesn’t stop my curious mind from occasionally wondering what it would be like to switch places with another blogger for a few days. Would my switcheroo be with a person or a four-legged friend? Where would this person be at in their life? Would it be a little person or an adult? A puppy or a dog? Would it be with someone in the United States or in a country far away? Oh, the possibilities! There would be so much to learn from a new perspective on things, and I’m never one to turn down a learning experience.

But I’m also not one to covet. I love everything about the people, places and things in my life, and I wouldn’t want to leave all that behind if only for a few days. There is a unique perspective to be offered by so many bloggers out there, and I can’t find it in my heart (let alone in my ability) to communicate that perspective as well as they do.

We all have our different reasons for blogging. It’s what makes us unique. While switching places might be a fun learning experiment, I fear the result wouldn’t be as pleasurable as many might have hoped. Instead I opt to continue reading the perspectives of my pals in the blogosphere, and learning life lessons through their stories.

After all, I’m really good at daydreaming.

Related Articles:

http://angloswiss-chronicles.com/2013/05/27/daily-prompt-switcheroo/

http://tarotalchemist.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/daily-prompt-switcheroo/

http://themotherofnine9.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/switcheroo-you-want-me-to-pretend/

Daydreaming in the Window January 29, 2013

I’m a believer in dreaming big. After all, I spend a good deal of my days sleeping, and I spend the majority of my sleep time dreaming. Why not dream big?

Most of the time, my dreams are typical dog dreams of epic squirrel chases and dog park debacles, but every now and then I dream like I would imagine people dream. In these dreams, I see myself as a respected author, the proud owner of a Porsche 911 convertible, or a salesperson who speaks people and sells happiness for free to anyone willing to buy it.

Sometimes these dreams overflow into my thoughts when I’m awake. I think its what people refer to as daydreaming.

That’s what happened today when I was in one of my most favorite places: the bay window. I’m not sure why, but I do some of my best thinking there. So today I decided to take notice of my surroundings and let them inspire me.

I see a front yard, filled with possibility. My people and I live on about a quarter acre of land in a fairly urban area, so I am grateful for all of the grass that surrounds us. To me, grass is a symbol…a promise of a bigger and brighter world welcoming our exploration.

I see a road that sees fairly minimal vehicle traffic. For this I am also thankful, as the quiet road becomes a playground for people, children and canines alike. Mom and I take walks on this road, and we encounter all kinds of exciting things. From my perch in the window, I see my pals from the neighborhood on their walks with their people and wish them well. Every now and then, that multi-colored neighborhood cat waltzes across the street and I find myself wondering whether she has a home.

And tonight, I see darkness…confirmation it is still winter in Wisconsin regardless of our freakish (and record-breaking) 60 degree day today. Our days are short this time of year, but with each passing day the sunlight gets the slightest bit longer, as if promising spring is on its way.

And I do love spring. To me, it is the season of life. It is the season when my view through the bay window evolves into something downright beautiful.

The longer I thought about what all of these things mean to me, the more I realized that dreams can be a bit like my bay window. I view my world through the lenses of the bay window, and all seems well. Even amidst the darkness of winter, my window brings me peace in knowing the sunshine of spring is on its way.

What if we could do that with our dreams? What if we could hop into our special spot in the window (or put on our bay window people lenses) and see the world as a brighter and happier place with a promising future?

What would your window look like?