The Magic of the “Three Rs”

 

Life has a tendency to throw us curves. More than a few these days, I’d say. In addition to all the upsets and upheavals caused by the pandemic and whatever part of the political/social/economic reality has grabbed your attention, there’s the day to day of our ordinary lives.

Like my dog. The younger one, a three-year old I’ve nick-named “Abounding Joy” for his astonishing ability to bound a good five feet straight up in the air. From all four legs. Repeatedly. So the other day when he bounded from three legs, instead of four, and zoomed around the living room favoring one of his hind legs, I panicked. What’s with my “boy”? Of course this happened at 10:00 pm when a quickie visit to the vet was out of the question, and the only open emergency vet clinic was far away and “by appointment only” (who has emergencies “by appointment”?!).

That’s when I remembered the magic of the “Three Rs.” No, not “reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic,” although those Three Rs certainly have their own magic. I’m referring to a different set. “Recover. Recalibrate. Restart.”

Recover, as in take a deep breath (or several deep breaths) to release the panic. Recalibrate, as in use my thinking brain to assess the situation. In this case, remember that my dogs have from time to time strained a muscle in their wanton cavorting, which has healed quickly without human assistance. Restart, as in start fresh. In this case decide that since cherished pup was not showing any signs of distress, that when I palpated his leg he didn’t cringe or whimper, that I could wait until morning to see if he was OK. If not, I could get him to my vet immediately.

Whew! Relief. Which I suppose is a fourth “R,” the natural consequence of the first three.

We function much better when not in the grip of panic, anger or fear. Since remembering the Three Rs, I’ve used them repeatedly, for the smallest of issues - spilled water on the coffee table, to bigger ones - anxiety over upcoming taxes.

Recover. Recalibrate. Restart. And yes, relief will ensue, which in turn makes it much easier to deal with whatever caused the upset in the first place.

Oh, and cherished pup did heal himself, miraculously and quickly, within 12 hours. Good boy!

Don’t Worry, Be Happy - Episode 12

Ever wished life were that simple? That you could just dump worry and be happy? In this podcast, you’ll be introduced to a couple of easy techniques that can indeed release your worry and lead you to the land of “be happy."

Check out this latest episode!

Putting Love Into Action on Valentine’s Day

 

Picture Credit: Kentucky Department of Education

In this time of a seemingly-never-ending pandemic, Valentine’s Day is bound to be different for many of us. Those who are couples may miss the traditional dinners-out, romantic get-aways, and other such expressions of their undying affection.

But what if there was an easy, heartfelt way for all of us – singles as well as couples – to honor Valentine’s Day. A way to express love in a safe, non-COVID threatening way, not just to our sweetheart, but to the many others in our world that we hold dear. It’s putting love into action by simply saying, “Thank you.”

Take Ana Reyes, for example, who some 40 years later (!), tracked down her first grade teacher, Mrs. Harkleroad (with the help of the Kentucky Department of Education), to thank Mrs. Harkleroad for giving her the skills that led to Ana’s professional success as a lawyer. Ana immigrated to Kentucky from Spain and Uruguay as a toddler, and struggled to learn the language of her new country. Upon noticing this, Mrs. Harkleroad came to school an hour early every day to tutor Ana in English. Ana was an avid learner, and learned fast. From those early school days, Ana went on to achieve her law degree from Harvard, as well as a Master’s in international public policy from Johns Hopkins University. Mrs. Harkleroad, now 77, was moved to tears by the letter of thanks Ana read to her – truly love in action.

Saying “thank you,” may seem simplistic, even meaningless. Just a phrase you whip off out of politeness. But “thank you,” when truly felt and expressed genuinely, is far more than that. It’s letting someone know that you recognize what they did for you as being meaningful, as impacting your life in a positive way, however large or small that may have been. Acknowledging that in some way, they loved you. They respected and honored you as a worthwhile human being, even if it was just in serving you a latte. Saying “thank you” loves them back.

So this Valentine’s Day, let “thank you” be how you express your love and appreciation to as many people as you can in your world. It doesn’t matter whether you thank someone verbally, or in a text, email, letter or Voicemail. Whether it’s just two words, or a passionate pages-long outpouring of gratitude, “thank you” is always valuable. Perhaps even more so in these pandemic days, when we all could do with a little more love.