You're My Best Friend...Part 2

Indeed the 2012 USBCHA Finals were quite the ride.  Nell made it through the first round and finished mid-pack in the semi-final round.  She gave me her all and I must admit..I enjoyed running her.  I most certainly feel blessed to have a few nice dogs and folks that believe and invest in my partnerships. There is so much more that I am experiencing post-finals...maybe the words will come with time but for now I'm just treasuring my two runs for how I remember them.  With finals blogging and live-streaming and a world full of critics...I'm thinking enough "other" has been said. 

The very best part of the finals, for me.....was watching and celebrating my friend's and their success.  It was super cool to have a group of "rookie" friends who made it to the finals for their very first time...hence the "rookie" brand.  I'm proud and amazed at all my friends who conquered their fears and walked to the post to send their dogs....some at the time of day where even the best of hands struggled.  I cheered with pride as a handful of us "rookies" made it to the semi-finals.  Each of us, with our own journeys, our own goals, our own dragons...being counted amongst the top forty teams.  And the rookie who runs his dog as if riding a wave, he dug deep and made it to the last day......they say it's a Cinderella story....somehow that minimizes the work and effort that team has put in. 

I also was witness to the other spectrum of dog trialing......you know...the runs that don't go as planned and most certainly not as visualized.  And yet, again I am awed and humbled by the grace, dignity and character that my friends exhibited as they walked off the field.  Even those who did well with what they were given, yet it was not enough for the nod to the next level....those disappointed and yet able to celebrate, encourage, and cheer on their friends, were unsung heroes.  I wonder if they know how they touched my life?  They most certainly have left a fingerprint that I hope doesn't wash off.  At the end of the day, may I be as full of strong character.

Keeping it real, there was a lot of "other" stuff going on for me during the week. I don't live in a Willy Wonka world, though I do work at trying to see the good: lifting my eyes to see the beauty on this journey called my life.  Yes, Susan, trialing is about the sheep.  It is about seeing what you can do with the packet of sheep your are dealt.  But life...oh life....it is about becoming and along the way I am ever so thankful for my friends. I want to remember that the trialing is just the thin layer of icing but the cake is really what matters.   Its the substance and foundation and determines the quality of the final dessert presentation.  Dogs, family and True Friends......a good cup of coffee and a bite of chocolate.......Today, I lift my eyes, give thanks and find that my cake of life is good.......

Seize the day!