Chloe the Dog

 

We had to say goodbye to my office companion of the last 10 years. A runaway picked up by a local shelter, I knew as soon as I saw her she’d be mine.

They told me she was house broken…then she peed in the car on the way home. House broken…car broken…semantics. But she was a keeper from the very start. I guess that’s what happens when a dog pees in your car and gets away with it. 

She was a climber and a chewer. High energy. But I noticed she was skittish at times…like when I brought the paper in from outside…skittish enough to make me wonder if she was abused before she ran away and was picked up by the shelter. 

Her name was “Tootsie” at the shelter, but I could name her whatever I wanted, so Chloe it was. We’ll never know her original name. We’ll never know anything for sure about her first 6 months…except she escaped it. And she landed with me. And we were good for each other.

We were a team. She’d chew my stuff and I’d buy new stuff. She’d eat and sleep for free and I’d buy her food and new beds. I think she chewed through her first 8 beds. Maybe it was 9. Doesn’t matter. I’d’ve bought her a 10th if it came to that. That’s what you do with a dog you love. 

After a couple years she settled down to focus on her career. She was a lifelong pursuer of squirrels. She studied them daily. She mapped and plotted relentlessly. She’d run zoomies in the house as if in training. She only caught a squirrel once, but when she adjusted her grip, it escaped. As time went on she chased less and eventually settled for watching squirrel-vision from the comfort of the back deck. 

Her health problems befuddled me. Surgeries mounted. Vet bills? Kind of don’t remember how much. Honestly. That’s really not so much the point. But when her body is done…it’s done.

I’m saying goodbye..but I won’t have a chance to forget. I’m pretty sure her hair will be in my truck until the day my truck dies. And those smudge marks on the window… I just might leave them there for a while as well. 

Figure It Out, Or Don’t

 

I haven’t figured out life yet. So how could I pretend to have Facebook figured out? I don’t… or is it …I haven’t? See, I don’t even have the vernacular figured out. But one thing I have figured out, is there are lots of people from my past that have figured out how to generate positivity. And I’m not talking about the fake manufactured positivity. So…generated may not be the best word.. but this positivity I’m talking about seems to flow naturally and effortlessly. I like that. I think we all do. 

One time many years ago my car just quick working …on a busy interstate… during rush hour. Kaput. Turns out it was electrical…nothing I could do. But I was stranded…cars veering around me. I was that vehicle causing a backup on the major throughway on the radio’s evening traffic report. 

I had never been so glad to see a tow truck pull up behind me and divert traffic with its sheer size and mostly its blinking lights. I was being rescued and I didn’t even have to call. And before you think it was just some guy circling around waiting for an accident or stalled car…I was in a bind… actual danger…in my compact car…stuck in a middle lane during rush hour. I was very happy to get this help so quickly. 

So…we did our basic talk to get my car out of the way and on its way to a garage, and the driver asks me if I taught high school math at a certain place. I said yes..and asked his name. Turns out, he was a former student…and really…he literally got me out of a dangerous jam. 

This happened way before social media. Mobile phones were just beginning to be a thing. But over the years, I’ve had curiosity regarding many of my former students. The tow truck driver? Turns out he’s a magnificent professional photographer now. I “like” his quality photos on a regular basis. They take me to familiar places in ways I’ve not experienced quite like before. 

Another student in a couple of my classes early on…sold my house a few years ago…with excellent service I’d recommend to anyone. 

Another former student treated one of my kids in an urgent care visit. 

Another guy I called to have my carpet replaced…gave me 5 star service. I didn’t even realize he was a former student until a couple of phone conversations. I then learned it was his last installation before going into real estate himself. I lucked out by getting him when I did. He did a great job. I consider he and his wife great people I’m honored to call them friends now. 

So yeah, I’ve ventured out a bit and became Facebook friends with quite a few former students. Good people. I don’t know how else to describe it. And it gives me good feels. Again…cheap language, but maybe you know what I’m talking about. 

Several former students went into education as teachers or counselors. Man... I hold them in highest regards. 

Some went on to be outstanding musicians…ones that I have paid money to see. One of them, I connected with, and he gives me guitar lessons from time to time. And he asks me if I’ve practiced…and I have to confess that I’ve been slack. Oh the tables have turned. 

So yes, I use Facebook to see how other people are doing life. And of course I know we tend to put our best on display. But sometimes you can just tell. Sometimes you know good people when you see them. And those are the types of people I want influencing my timeline (or whatever it’s called).

I’ve got an odd collection of social media friends. I’m Facebook friends with some of my mom’s friends. I’m Facebook friends with some people I haven’t even met in person, or only met once, because I saw positivity that I thought I’d like to influence my feed. 

So no, I don’t have social media figured out. I don’t know the rules…if there really are set rules. I just like drawing some positivity once in a while from people and pages I find encouraging. And I hope to genuinely provide a bit of that myself.