Every Kid Needs a Furry Little Friend

Last night while my little nephews were here they just couldn't leave the puppies alone! To give the dogs a bit of a break Allen got Chipper out. They didn't really know what to think of him. They thought he was really cute while in the cage but it took a bit to get "Sam Jr." to hold him, as you can tell from the "smile" he's sporting. lol Bubba LOVED Gun!! Talk about a Kodak Moment. Their neighbors have rabbits, gerbils, rats, a cat and a couple snakes (the rats' and gerbils' babies are food for the snake) but the kids love them. Sam Jr and Bubba all they could talk about was the neighbors' animals while chasing ours. It was pretty comical :-) I think when we have a baby (be it natural by us or by other parents) we're gonna have to get a puppy to grow up with our baby, probably a Lab.

I'm reading the prequel to "The Anatomy of Peace", I really should have read them in order, anyway, it's called "Leadership and Self-Deception" I really can't believe all the areas in life I have been deceived. But not just me, EVERYONE! You know those times that you get an idea to do something nice for someone, then you decide to not do it. This book explains how that is deceiving yourself because just after you make the decision to ignore the urge or inspiration you immediately start justifying to yourself why you ignored it. Then before you know it you usually end up having hard feelings toward the person you felt you needed to do something for, it's truly amazing. I still stand by the idea that "The Anatomy of Peace" was divinely inspired, I would also say that "Leadership and Self-Deception" is also. If you enjoy reading it's a really quick read, under 200 pgs and big print. It is also a good story.

I often wonder how much better off this country would be if the school system required kids to read these kind of books instead of the "great literature" they require. I for one know I got a heck of a a lot more out of these two books than I ever did out of say..."Grapes of Wrath" or "My Name Is Asher Lev". I'm not saying they were bad books but really I think life would be a lot easier if instead of learning about foreshadowing and symbolism from stories I would have learned about how to see people as people instead of seeing them as objects. I guess you would have to read the book to understand that.

I just love how freeing it is to learn more about myself! How I tick, why I feel the way I do, why I respond to things the way I do. Three or four years ago I thought I understood myself. I have learned from some REALLY AWESOME books (that I have been lead to by some pretty awesome people) that, indeed, I did understand myself and others better than most. But...not as well as I could have had some of these books been mandatory reading for school instead of "The Great Gatsby" and Edgar Alan Poe, poetry. I think had I been required to read helpful books I would have kept reading after I graduated, but in my eyes it was such a waste of time.

Both Allen and myself have been able to fall in love with one another all over again, learn to accept ourselves the way we are, and have a much better understanding of others which makes it so much easier to love people for who they are and where they are. I dare say though, that Allen has made so much more progress than myself! He's so inspiring! I am so blessed to have him as an eternal companion! (I hope he feels the same way about me. lol)