Raincoat mishap

Sometimes I get a thought bubble and it turns out to be genius!!  Other times; well let's just let you be the judge. 

So here it is, a rainy Monday night.  I get off of work an hour early with intention to go straight home to walk Oaks.  Mondays are his longest days without an outside break and after approx 9 hours, I imagine he's ready to go out.  I am fueled with motivation to not let the slowly falling rain stop me from helping my puppy get some steps in today.  As I think about my raincoat hanging off the back of the chair, I get this epiphany of a thought bubble...

I could make Oaks a raincoat out of a trash bag!!!   YES!!  I do a little happy dance in the kitchen as I prep for my newfound creation with a pair of kitchen shears and a trash bag.  Oakley is not impressed.  As I approach him to put the bag over his head, he ducks his head down between his front paws and starts to back away.  His tail is so far between his rear paws that you can't even tell he has one.  I see him trembling.  Hang in there buddy, this is going to be great....you just wait and see!

I manage to get his head through the hole I created in the bottom of the bag, and I make four holes (one for each leg to go through) and a hole in the rear for his tail.  In all of the excitement I forget to put on my own raincoat....so back inside we go.  lol

Finally, we are outside and off to find a grassy patch so Oaks can relieve himself.  Within moments he is squatting down to potty.  I enjoy the sound of the light rainfall as it drips onto my raincoat.  Soon enough we are off on our walk adventure.

Today is just not any walk for Oaks...today is a rigorous self-care walk.  What is that?  That is a walk with intention to feel the purest joy.  A walk that takes time to savor the sights and sounds nature is producing.  A walk where I put a little skip in my step and feel as light as a fawn.  A walk without judgment or expectation.  A chance to let my mind wander and listen for the soft whisper of God as he speaks his truth into me.  A chance to get away from all of the distractions and get back to the adventurous, joyful, curious, and fun girl in me.  

As we are walking along, I notice Oakley starting to run in circles.  He appears scared as his tail is tucked between his legs and he is almost running in circles away from himself.  I try to call him to me, but he is not budging.  Something is bothering him, and he is terrified of it.  As I crouch down to investigate, I notice that one of the ties from the top of the bag has tangled itself around his rear leg.  I reach to untangle it when I notice that the part of the trash bag under his belly is hanging onto the ground.  Wait...there's more.

The bag is filled with the urine he expelled just moments before.  Yup, you heard me right. Oakley is now dragging about 2 cups of dark yellow urine below his belly.  Being the male that he is, he peed right into the large opening of the trash bag.  ooooooppppsss....

I laugh out loud as I discover this.  Didn't think that through very well.  😂

Well since today is rigorous self-care walk day we must continue on.  So, I try to empty as much of the urine out of the bag as possible and on we go.  A few more minutes into the walk Oaks squats to take a deuce (Thanks to How i Met Your Mother for that term) and I immediately think....I hope I didn't clog that hole.  This girl doesn't do butt stuff! 💩   Phew, everything came out ok for him, and on we go.

As the rain continued to fall, Oakley's head got wetter and wetter.  So, like any adorable little puppy would do, he decided to roll around in the grass to dry off.  Boy did he look happy as he rolled over and over and all around in the grass!!  That's my sweet puppy!!  The moment is interrupted with another "this was not such a genius idea" thought bubble.  The trash bag raincoat still has urine in it.  CRAP.  Didn't think that through very well.  

Well, at this point I think, we might as well finish our walk.  Afterwards, we are heading straight to the dog wash!  

One of the things I love most about being out in nature is the excitement of the mystery that entails.  Just like this walk journey, I could have never anticipated what was about to unfold.  Hiking is no different.  Around each corner, up each incline, through each treed area lies a mystery to be revealed, struggles to overcome and a chance to quiet the mind to process, feel and be inspired by God's callings.  

With an open mind and no expectations, I found myself laughing out loud and flowing through the moments today.  I had a skip in my step that didn't faulter.  I am currently writing the story of my life and it's a good one!  Stay open to enjoy the mysteries of life and find joy in what they bring.  You after all are the author or YOUR story, so make it a good one!  

Rigorous self care activities for today:

Intentional walk

Bubble bath with candles and a Jack Johnson playlist

Ice cream (Mmmmmm....) 

Blogging while listening to the pitter patter of the rainfall

Hot Cocoa and a snugly blanket while curling up on the couch.