hope floats

It's true, hope floats. But sometimes it toddles along on training wheels.

The decision to live out in the country can mean that you're 9 miles from anything. That can be a good thing if you're the type of person who likes "a piece of quiet" as my children used to say. It's a good place for people who spend alot of time reflecting on life.

Yesterday I drove into town to run some errands in. When I exited the drug store this is the scene that greeted me.



What a surprise and the first thing that popped into my head was, "Hope floats...and sometimes it has training wheels!"

The 9 mile drive back home gave me plenty of time to think about what I'd seen, to dig a little deeper into the idea of a dog with training wheels. It told me several things:

- Someone cares and is committed to this creature.
- Someone asked for help.
- Someone had enough vision and talent to create a device that would allow this dog to go on a walk.
- Dogs don't dwell or agonize over their situation, and this dog was blissfully unaware that his hind legs were useless.

I think way too much but that's the natural outcome of doing 5 years of therapy... your mind has been trained to look beyond the obvious. Today, after encountering a dog on training wheels I reminded myself that there are many people in the world who are hurting with injuries you and I can't see. I met lots of them on my journey through depression. Each of us has the ability to provide training wheels. Sometimes it's as simple as a kind word or compliment. Many times it involves really looking and really listening. We all lead busy lives but take a moment and pretend your 9 miles from anything and think about how simple it can be to build some training wheels.

Tomorrow: The importance of bling.