Yesterday vs Today

Yesterday was quite the day.  The last sentence to a long chapter of training, trial organizing, clinicing, hosting and the likes from the past two months.  See I am living out a dream.....hosting a Kathy Knox clinic!  It was just 4 years ago that I met Jack and Kathy Knox and their style of training spoke to me and has permeated me....much like a tea bag does hot water.  As I share my journey of training dogs with friends, I have looked forward to the day I could share the original presentation of the Knox method with those who train with me.  As with pretty much everything I do, I went all out to help this party be all it could be.  I rented a big sheep operation to have access to big fields and fresh sheep.  Knowing it would be a lot of work at a place I did not own, I was okay with that.  However, the best laid plans often go awry (thank you Of Mice and Men) and I found myself yesterday standing in gooey mud in the middle of the young dog training pen with field pipe needing moved.  As I gazed out at the big beautiful field I had planned on using for the big dog outruns, oh say about 500 or so ewes and lambs were busy grazing the grass with no intention of being hauled out of there in the coming few days, with the wet weather keeping other fields from being usable.  Where that flock of sheep might have gone on to graze, those fields are still standing in tall grass meant for hay but too wet to cut.  Mud in the small training area for the younger dogs (along with farmie my items that needed dug out for safety) and no access to the big field of dreams, I pulled the plug.  And I cried.  I actually cried a lot and my youngest son had to give me a pep talk about how I needed to put my big girl panties on and get er done!

I love my family...and my boys rock.  So, at 4 in the afternoon, I loaded my car with dogs and went to my little ranch and decided this was the first sentence in the new chapter of my book of life and I was and am going to find the blessing and be thankful for what I have.  I will not be focusing on all I don't have and what I long for....like a 100 acre ranch and a big uniform flock of sheep.......be gone excuses and pathetic longing!  I have a beautiful 10 acre ranch...that is now half mowed.  With creative input from my neighbor and a friend, I think I have figured out how to park all the attendees.  Thankfully I weaned a group of lambs last week so I have fresh lambs and ewes that have not been worked all winter.  I am pulling a fence today to make for a bigger outrun.....not "field of dream" big but enough. I have an amazing family, really awesome dogs that are teaching me just what I need to learn, the best group of friends that I don't deserve....and I get to share Kathy Knox with them all!

It really is enough, it is better than good......

Seize the Day!