pets – theCauseCoach

Giving the cat equal time

March 22, 2019January 9, 2021thecausecoach

While I was eating breakfast this morning my cat (actually my daughter’s cat, but I am its current caretaker), jumped up on the table and started to dig at the plant on the adjacent windowsill. I scolded him and told him to get off. He stopped momentarily. Gave me a look that said, “WTF” and went back to his digging. That, I thought to myself, is the difference between cats and dogs. Read more →

The benefits of being “a dog person”

February 20, 2019January 10, 2021thecausecoach

I have a dog. I didn’t always have a dog. Actually, until I was 10, our family pet was no more than a goldfish. Then my parents allowed me to adopt a kitten. That was it though. They liked to travel and a cat allowed for more flexibility. Plus, a cat didn’t need to be walked at all hours of the day in all kinds of weather. Read more →

A challenge to be thankful for one thing everyday

August 17, 2017January 10, 2021thecausecoach

I was going to publish something totally different today and then this morning this “memory” from 2014 popped into my Facebook news feed:

What I’m positive about/thankful for…Day 5 of 5…

1. I can run, as it may be the only thing that’s keeping me sane (I’m also thankful for my amazing coach, Rob McCarthy, who also has me running fast, which is keeping my self esteem at an all time high);

2. I’m thankful for my friends…all of you…and especially a few in particular (who I won’t call out here in fear that someone not included may feel slighted)…the really special ones – you know who you are – you have been there when I needed you, you knew when to make me laugh, when to just listen, when I needed a pep talk, you knew the right thing to say, or knew when it was best to say nothing at all , you’ve made the last 5 months fly by and made sure I knew I was a survivor. Thank you!

3. And finally, my dog, because when all else fails, I never doubt that at least HE loves me.

Garden escape: the holiday weekend at home

June 30, 2017January 10, 2021thecausecoach

If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, you can find me in the garden. Next to running, gardening is one of my most cherished activities. When I hurt my back in 2011, friends asked if it was a running injury. “No, a gardening injury,” I’d reply.

When I moved into my house almost 10 years ago I had a vision for an enormous – meditative – wild flower garden, a big private green lawn where my daughter and dog could play, a patio with a fire pit that could host gatherings of friends or be a quiet retreat. As purchased, the house had none of that.

But as I said, I had a vision; which I turned into a plan (more on the importance of having a plan in July). That project became an escape, like my running, from all the stress life was throwing at me for all those years. Like an artist whose craft becomes the outlet for their pain, I created a masterpiece amid the turmoil.

In Celebration of Global Running Day -Run Like a Dog!

June 7, 2017June 22, 2019thecausecoach

Today is Global Running Day. If you haven’t gotten a run in yet, put your trainers on and get out there! If you can, find a friend. Today running with others is a great way to celebrate our global community! Tonight I will be coaching my running club’s summer speed session; first of the season! This morning I ran with my dog.

Running with my dog – a dog, any dog – was a vision I had since I started looking at colleges over 35 years ago. It was part of how I pictured my future self— never mind that I never had a dog and hated running. That my friends is a testament to how visualization works. Imagine your best self; create an imagine of the ideal life to make it happen.