The Tao of Jax – Misty

I’ll never forget that sight! Fresh blood flowing from her mouth and from her under her tail. The last time I saw her, even though she had visibly slowed down, Dusty was still so full of life. “DAMN!” I thought, “she seems so empty – so hollow!”

I got the call just after I finished a long day of work. My dad was clearly weeping on the other end of the phone as he told me, “Misty died today. She’s still laying in my bathroom!” I knew my Dad shouldn’t attempt to deal with this on his own. I called my sister, told her I was coming to get her and we were going over to Dad’s place to deal with the “clean up” for him.

When we arrived I had Cathy take my Dad into his room and comfort him so that he wouldn’t have to watch me remove the body of his 14 year old sheltie who was more than just a dog. All dog owners out there know this:

A dog is a member of the family!

I don’t know if it was naivety, or just plain ignorance but I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal for me. I was more worried about helping my dad and never really thought about what I was about to walk in to. I swung open the door to the bathroom with a blanket in hand, took one look at the corpse laying in the middle of the room and instantly broke into tears.

I have picked up dead stray cats, foxes and gophers and felt the motionless emptiness of a dead animal. The dead weight that offers no challenge other than the force gravity impresses upon your hands but, to feel the lifelessness of one that you held so dear is an emotional and overwhelming feeling.

I wiped away the tears as I made 3 different attempts to wrap her body with the blanket, which resulted in me carrying her remains to my car which I then drove to the 24 hour animal care center for disposal.

I’ll never forget that night. I have watched as other animals peacefully drift away while being euthanized and it was a sad experience but, to have to remove that dead, furry mass was an entirely different experience.

I was at the dog park recently with my 2 year old boxer, Jax and I thought about Misty and the night she passed on. I thought about how she still had a brain, a heart and blood flowing through her veins. Up until that last moment, that last breath she was, in many ways, no different than Jax is right now while I watch him run and play.

What is that “spark” that offers animated life? The “spark” that decided to leave Misty that night?

Hmmmm….

I spent some time watching Jax filled with that “spark,”  running, jumping and playing…  then I turned inwards and started asking the same question…

What is that “spark” that offers me life?

Thanks to Jax, with a big help from Misty I am on the path to some more of life’s big lessons. Of course, this leads to so many other questions… isn’t it exciting?!?!

Poetry for Pondering

Even

After

All this time

The sun never says to the earth,

“You owe

Me.”

Look

What happens

With a love like that,

It lights the

Whole

Sky.

The Tao of Jax – Let Go and Let God

Have you ever gone over to a friends house, walked through the door and heard the “pitter patter” of furry feet rushing to the door to greet you? Whether you have a dog or you have visited someone who has a dog, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. Dogs love greeting people… well… most dogs do anyways.

My 2 year old male boxer loves greeting people. When he hears someone at the door, he tears over to say hello which is usually accompanied with a few jumps onto the person and then a retrieval of his favorite toy and the challenge to the guest to test their strength in a bout of tug-of-war. He’s so cute!

Have you ever tried the opposite? Rushing up to greet a dog? If you love dogs as much as I do; you see a dog and that’s your initial reaction… Run up and say, “HELLO!” but if you do this, what usually happens? The dog is taken off guard and usually retreats or looks to it’s owner and cries, “HELP!! What’s the deal with this guy?” Even Jax, the most friendly of dogs will back off and look for safety.

BUT….

If you just sit back, calmly, and allow things to unfold… a dog’s curiosity and the natural bond between humans and canine will kick in and even the shyest of dogs will approach, if even for a moment, to acquire your scent and see what you’re all about.

I love observing dogs and their behavior because they are constantly acting in the moment. Never in the past, never with the future in mind; always now! This was yet another lesson Jax taught me recently:

Don’t force things to happen in your life; allow them to flow with life.

Or, as Wayne Dyer writes in his book, Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life;

Be like water – which creates opportunities for swimming, fishing, surfing, drinking, wading, sprinkling, floating and an endless list of benefits – by not trying to do anything other than simply flow.

Every time I get excited about something; whether it be a new opportunity, a new idea or a new relationship, if I get really excited I tend to try and speed up the process. It’s natural! I’m excited and would like to see the result expedited! Well my 2 year old boxer taught me ANOTHER big lesson the other day. He may be a dog, but he is one of my greatest teachers.

I was leaving to drive somewhere and I brought Jax along with me. He jumped into the truck and hopped across the seat to take position in his passenger side chair. I was on my way to go pick up a friend and once we arrived, I asked Jax to get in the back. He just looked at me with a “you gotta be kidding me” look in his eye. “Jax… GET IN THE BACK,” I said with a stern voice and frustration welling up inside of me! Not a chance!

So I reached over, grabbed him and tried man handling him to the back seat. Jax is a 2 year old boxer who is as physically strong as he is head strong (stubborn). He hunkered down and was determined that there was no way I was going to be able to physically remove him from “his” seat!

After a few heaves, and a couple ho’s, I realized I was not going to move him. I could have got out of the truck, walked around the other side, opened the door and grabbed him by the leash and forced him into the back seat but I thought I would take another approach.

Jax has a “sweet spot” on his neck that if you scratch he just melts… instantly! If you lean in and kiss him on his head while you’re scratching, he is in heaven. So… that’s exactly what I did and as I was scratching him and kissing him, I was quietly whispering to him, “Get in the back Jax… Go on!” Within seconds he was laying quietly in the backseat with a very gentle content smile on his face.

Later that day I was thinking about this situation. I realized too many times in life I am trying to force a result that I desire. When I take some time to put some love into it and trust in the perfection of any outcome; things will just happen the way they are supposed to with a whole lot less effort and struggle.

Thank you Jax for teaching me yet another important lesson! Who wants a milk bone?!?!?

37 Valentines, 1 Boy and a Whole Bunch of Love

I read this story that Wayne Dyer shares in his book “The Power of Intention” and I knew I needed to share it with you. I know it’s Easter but this little boy; during Valentines Day,  show’s us all about love.

He was a shy little boy, not popular with the other children in Grade One. As Valentine’s Day approached, his mother was delighted when he asked her one evening to sit down and write the names of all the children in his class so that he could make a Valentine for each. Slowly he remembered each name aloud, and his mother recorded them on a piece of paper. He worried endlessly for fear he would forget someone.

Armed with a book of Valentines to cut out, with scissors and crayons and paste, he plodded his conscientious way down the list. When each one was finished, his mother printed the name on a piece of paper and watched him laboriously copy it. As the pile of finished Valentines grew, so did his satisfaction.

About this time, his mother began to worry whether the other children would make Valentines for him. He hurried home so fast each afternoon to get on with his task, that it seemed likely other children playing along the street would forget this exercise all together. How absolutely horrible if he went to the party armed with 37 tokens of love and no one had remembered him! She wondered if there were some way she could sneak a few Valentines among those he was making so that he would be sure of receiving at least a few. But he watched his hoard so jealously, and counted them over so lovingly, that there was no chance to slip in an extra. She assumed a mother’s most normal role, that of patient waiting.

The day of the Valentine box finally arrived, and she watched him trudge off down the snowy street, a box of heart-shaped cookies in on hand, a shopping-bag clutched in the other with 37 neat tokens of his labor. She watched him with a burning heart. “Please, God,” she prayed, “let him get at least a few!”

All afternoon her hands were busy here and there, but her heart was at the school. At half-past three she took her knitting and sat with studied coincidence in a chair that gave a full view of the street.

Finally, he appeared, alone. Her heart sank. Up the street he came, turning every once in a while to back up a few steps into the wind. She strained her eyes to see his face. At a distance it was just a rosy blur.

It was not until he turned in at the walk that she saw it – the one lone Valentine clutched in his little red mitt. Only one. After all his work. And from the teacher probably. The knitting blurred before her eyes. If only you could stand between your child and life! She laid down her work and walked to the door to meet him.

“What rosy cheeks!” she said. “Here, let me untie your scarf. Were the cookies good?”

He turned toward her a face shining with happiness and complete fulfillment. “Do you know what?” he said. “I didn’t forget a one! Not a single one!”

Scott Weller Presents: Lust vs. Love

This morning I was riding the upright bike at the gym, reading Wayne Dyer’s “The Power of Intention“, when I had a very intense moment of “AH HA!”

In the very first chapter, on page 12, he writes about his “Four steps to Intention” and more specifically step #3 he talks about Love. He writes:

In the world of sales, I call it falling in love with what you are offering, and then selling your love or enthusiasm to potential customers.

This line stimulated my “AH HA” moment. I thought back to every job and business opportunity that I had undertook and eventually walked away from. I started to realize, I had never “loved” any of them. I had only gotten involved or taken that job because, in that moment, I lusted after that position or opportunity.

I’m sure we have all heard the comparisons of lust vs. love at some point in our lives. For me, I see lust as something very intense but short-lived because the feelings are very “skin-deep.” Love, on the other hand, is very complete and deep rooted and carries through the good times and the bad.

Looking at my life, I realize now, that a lot of different relationships and opportunities have been very much in accordance with “lust.” Thankfully I know this and now I am consciously choosing to align with those opportunities and relationships which I “love.”

What do you think? Do you think there’s something to this Lust vs. Love thing I speak of? Looking back at your past, can you see similar patterns?

Scott Weller Presents: New Beginnings in Edmonton

Yup! Back after almost 2 months in hibernation. I don’t know how many of you are from Canada but, hibernation really is the only way to get through the long winters here. I suppose a nice vacation house in Panama might do the trick as well but until then…. I suppose hibernation it is!

As I write, it’s actually a beautiful sunny Edmonton afternoon. Unbelievable weather for Edmonton this time of year. Most years we still have a 12 inch blanket of snow covering the city. I couldn’t help but think about new beginnings. March 20th signed the first day of spring – one of the most symbolic ways to inspire thoughts of new-ness… fresh-ness…

It got me to thinking…

and to reading….

and to asking…

“Why do I invest so much time, effort and energy into things that really don’t mean anything to me?”

Have you felt this way? Do you still feel this way? Have you not even asked the question yet? If not, I suggest you do!

I have realized that my priorities have been way off. I have been focused on things to maintain a way of life, instead of CREATING MY WAY OF LIFE. You will notice a lot of changes in the near future. Come back and check it out… come and check out a different side of Scott and hopefully it will help inspire you to do the same.

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Scott Weller Presents – Blue Collar Begone Bulletin – The  Ski-doo

I had a conversation with a welder a little while back…

Me

How were days off?

Welder

Awesome! I bought 2 new sleds for my kids. They’re so sweet! They’re <ENTER LONG & PAINFUL DESCRIPTION OF HORSE POWER, ENGINE SIZE AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT I DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT HERE> Blah Blah Blah!

Before you know it 10 minutes had passed by and I was looking for any way to escape this very typical conversation, when I had a thought come to mind. So I cut in somewhere between him talking about how the paint job accented the color of his eyes and alluding that maybe the size of the engine was compensating in some way for some – thing, and asked:

Me
Can I ask you a question? If you’re out here working for 21 days at a time, away from your wife and kids, why do you spend money on things that guarantee the fact that you’ll be working away from home for the rest of your life?

His SAD response:

Well I buy them for my kids so that they’ll still love me

And he was dead serious!

BLUE COLLAR BEGONE BACKTALK

Does that bother anyone else? Or has this just become the norm? Why?

Is this what the family dynamic is turning into? Materialistic Blackmail? I don’t care if you are blue collar, white collar or no collar living on the streets, we, as human beings need to re-evaluate our priorities if you figure the simplest way to the hearts of your children is to buy a “toy” for them. As it always has been, the simplest and the most rewarding way to the hearts of children, is to spend time with them. Laugh with them! Cry with them! Show them that you care by giving them your time – not your wallet!

To Your Success
-Scott Weller

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Is it time for you to leave the Blue Collar Lifestyle and Start Living the Life YOU want?!?!? Click Here

Let me share a parable with you.  A wise old teacher sought to teach his student a solemn lesson.  So he pulled out an old jar, then carefully gathered together some rocks, sand, and water.  As the student looked on in puzzlement, the teacher proceeded to fill the jar to the brim with rocks.
“Is the jar full?” asked the Sensei.   “Indeed, it is completely full”  said the eager student without hesitation.

The teacher then went on to pour all the sand into the spaces between the big rocks.  The sand flowed into the cracks, settling comfortably.  Now the jar was really full.

“Is the jar full?” asked the Sensei.  ” I… um.. no?” said the doubtful student.

Smiling, the Sensei took the water and poured it with ease into the jar.

Standing back, the Sensei asked his student:   “What have you learned?”

“That there is always room for more!” exclaimed the student.

Shaking his head in disappointment, the sensei emptied the jar, and asked the student to fill the jar again, but this time, in reverse order.  So the student filled the jar with water.  As he did so he found that there was no room for the sand.  And found that there was no room for the rocks.

If you put the BIG ROCKS into your life first… there will be room for the SAND.  If you put the SAND into your life next… there will be room for the WATER.
But if you put the WATER in first, you will be overcome by a Tidal Wave!

Water is limitless, and always eager to flow into any available space.  If you let the demon called Tidal Wave take control, he will leave room for nothing else.

To apply the 5 Big Rock Rule to your Blue Collar Begone life….

To Your Success
-Scott Weller

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Injury Type : Lacerated neck, broken ribs
Core Activity : Glass shop and window installation
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

Large sheets of glass (3/8 inch thick, 34 inches by 80 inches) were sitting in an A-frame cradle. A young worker tipped several of the sheets toward himself so that a second worker could access sheets deeper in the stack. As more sheets were tipped forward, the increasing weight of the stack caused the worker to fall back against a work table. The falling glass sliced the worker’s neck, and the impact of hitting the table broke several ribs.

BLUE COLLAR BEGONE BACKTALK

Parents… Yes, I agree with teaching kids the importance of responsibility by working a summer job. It is much better than having them sit around on their butts, wolfing down potato chips while catatonically gazing at a computer screen, debating  what type of armour to outfit his level 71 Death Knight with. Just take interest in and  be aware of where your kids are working and the type of safety program the company has in place. Too many parents have buried their children due to preventable workplace accidents. This kid was 17 years old!

Don’t become a statistic. Scream, “BLUE COLLAR BEGONE!” and leave the construction life behind in 6 simple steps?