Life & The Sunday Series

The picture says it all. It’s a dog’s world and we’re just living in it. Let’s be glad we are. The picture that is associated with this blog is the work of Andrea Zimmerman Nusinov, her talents are on display on her Facebook Page at AZN Pet Pics. Unbelievable work, right? The rich texture she can pull from a simple photograph of a dog served to remind me the richness they bring to the lives of anyone who is lucky enough to own one.

The dog in the picture is named Ollie. He’s a Shichon, a mix of Shih Tzu and Bichon. Ollie came into our lives about four years ago and we’ve never been the same… in a good way. Talk about giving and getting back. Give a dog a home, feed him, bathe him, play with him and he/she brings you unconditional love and affection you won’t find anywhere else. Sure you love your children like that – but do they greet you at the door every day like it’s the first time they have ever seen you? There’s nothing quite like a dog.

Whether you purchased or rescued, it’s really the same. Although I give a ton of credit and respect to those who go the rescue route. Especially after you own a dog, you realize how hurtful it is to see another one abandon or abused. A dog deserves a good home and to be well taken care of. They’re just so darn innocent and forgiving. We bought Ollie, and I’m not going to apologize for it. Believe me if you saw his picture as a puppy, you would have bought him too. What he has brought to our lives is immeasurable, as I know any dog owner can relate. The first three months of training were a bit rough, much like a new baby, and our boy was like Houdini. The places he would escape from when you tried to keep him confined to one area, are legendary and worthy of a short book sometime. I kept telling my wife, who was exasperated at his antics and some other activities he was doing, is that it will all be worth it. One day we’ll recount these stories and laugh about it. I couldn’t have been more right. And it couldn’t have been more worth it.

Somehow someway the good Lord makes these animals, one cuter than the next, and thankfully he does, because if they weren’t they couldn’t get away with so much. Do they get away with a lot? They run around outside, pee, poop, put their nose in other dogs “stuff”, sniff and lick other dogs, get dirty, smelly, muddy, they put their paws in who knows what, they have bad breath, the list goes on and on. Yet they come back in the door, give you a “kiss” (well most dogs do, not Ollie, again a story for another time), prance around the house, get on the bed, sofa, etc and you still love every inch of them. Would you let your kids do all this then hug them when they walk back in the door?? Not at my house.

Yet the dog gets to have all that fun and you just don’t care. It’s simply the power of love. The dog loves you like there’s no tomorrow, because they have no idea if there will be. Imagine if we all lived that way… so we put up with all that he/she is capable of. Hey, they’re acting like animals, cause they can! The more I think about it, the tougher it is to put into words, what Ollie, or any dog brings to our lives. Tough to remember life before him, tough to think about life without him. Damn dogs. They make you love them as much as they love you. In the big scheme of things, what’s wrong with that? I knew from the day we brought Ollie home that he would enrich our lives beyond measure. He’s one of the kids… and we know what they mean to our lives. We don’t bring dogs into the world, but we’ll stand by them ’til they leave it. Maybe because it’s such a short time on this earth, that the love is so unconditional, in both directions. Maybe if we all thought about each other the same way, we would love just a little bit more. Who knows?

It’s a lot to think about, so while you are.. check out some beautiful pics of man’s (and woman’s) best friend over at Andrea’s Facebook Page… AZN Pet Pics. E-mail her and maybe she can bring your dog to life as well, even more so than they have done for you already.

Thank you Andrea for the inspiration. A dog-gone good job.

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.

Mark

Another Miracle in Maryland last night at College Park, with the Terps beating the stunned Blue Devils and sports again takes center stage in our lives. It just keeps getting better.

And after watching the highlights again… I figured what better action to take on a cold Sunday morning here in Baltimore, than to look ahead and take a sneak peek at what’s going on down south. A good time to bask in the warmth of reading updates on the Orioles Spring Training. Speaking of more miracles.. if last season was a collection of them, this season is full of hope.

Buck and the boys are already at work putting together the squad for this 2013 campaign. And how cool is it to care??!! For the first spring training since before my own daughters were on this earth, the emotions and expectations down in Florida are warm and sunny.

Here’s just one excerpt from the Sporting News online:

Buck Showalter says he didn’t think anyone on his club was surprised with their performance in 2012. “Who was surprised?” Showalter asks in mock indignation, adding with a grin, “I was a little surprised.”

For Showalter, 2012 was just the beginning. Losing in the Division Series to the Yankees didn’t sit well with his club. “There is a pretty good fire that has been ignited,” Showalter says. “No one was satisfied. No one was celebrating after Game 5 with the Yankees. We felt like we’d had a bigger opportunity.”
There are no Cinderellas… but in a private moment, (you have to think) “This is pretty cool, you know. I’m not so old that I can’t take that in and go ‘Wow!’

“There’s many a night where I kind of said, ‘Boy, I’m pretty lucky to be a part of this.

We were all a part of it… even those who NEVER experienced it. Maybe my most favorite personal moment of last season was taking my family to the game on a Friday night… fireworks night at Camden Yards. In the middle of another exciting O’s win, Sophie, (my then 12-year-old), was asking me about the numbers perched just below the upper deck seats in left field. I told her they are all retired jersey numbers from past Orioles players, Hall of Fame players, and in honor of their accomplishments those numbers will never be worn again in Baltimore. I then went down the line and told her stories and stats about each one. Ripken, Murray, Weaver, Brooks, Frank, Palmer. She turned to me and asked, “Dad, how do you know so much?”. I told her “I’ve always known and you never forget, but the O’s have been down so long, for longer than you’ve been alive, there was really no reason to share, now we’re back and it’s awesome.”

That moment with Sophie was about as awesome as it gets. Spring can’t some soon enough.

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.

Mark

http://markbrodinsky.com/324/

So it’s a Hallmark Holiday. No kidding. The commercialization of love, romance and all that stuff. Makes you feel like you have to do something, or someone else will think you not worthy. Special lunches, dinners, flowers, candy…the list goes on and on. You certainly don’t feel like doing it, right? Who would?

Although the other person on the receiving end of those cards, gifts or dinner, might just feel differently and you might want to keep that in mind as well. Give and get back many times over. Remember that, it might make it easier.

Then again, suppose you were already were doing those things. Suppose Valentine’s Day was not the only day of the year you chose to do something special for someone else. Suppose those types of thoughts and actions were habits, or at least part of your schedule every week, or every month.  Just suppose.

Then maybe it’s not a chore, or a last minute hustle, hurdle or hassle.  Maybe you’re not almost forgetting to do it because the date crept up on you, the thought of what the day really means escapes you, or worse, it’s so far out of your realm of thinking, emotions, or feelings it just makes you regretful every year.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be like that and for you, maybe it’s not. I’ve seen it posted all over the place today, every social media and mass media site you can think of.  Share the love. Appreciation for who is in your life. Gratitude for those special people. Nice that there is a day to focus on that… but wouldn’t it be cool if it wasn’t just one day?  Maybe, every day?

It literally takes a few seconds a day to tell the people in your life you love them. And it takes just a few minutes a day to think of why you are grateful for them and what they do to enrich your life. It’s never perfect, it’s not supposed to be. But if you turn your attention to those things every day… a few seconds, a few minutes, it’s amazing what can happen. Suddenly it’s no longer a once-a-year chore, it’s part of the fabric of your life.  And every thread of that fabric makes a difference.  It’s not that hard.

A little love every day goes a long, long way.

Think not?  Here’s the inside of the card pictured above: “Daddy, happy valentine’s day! You are so amazing and make me smile every day. You spoil me so much and I’m so thankful that you are my dad. I love you. From your Valentine, Emily”

Enough said.

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.

Mark