Focus

Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.

I am someone you might want to label as klutzy.

As a teen when I played sports I was known as "rough" because I knocked people over in order to get the ball from them.

I let people believe that I was a rough bruiser, because it seemed better than admitting that really i just wasn't coordinated enough to run fast without running into people.

I drop things, I run into walls, I miss doorways, I trip, and I bang my head.

It is not an uncommon event to hear some sort of crash, bang, or the tinkle of broken something coming from my treatment room. My co-workers just take it as a sign that I am still awake.

Amazingly, after that flattering intro, this post is not actually about me hurting my self. It's about the particularly unfathomable fact that I have NOT hurt myself yet.

Every morning.. at the crack of dawn ( well okay at around 7ish) our dog wakes us up.

By us... I mean me, as he as found that my better half won't actually get up early unless the house is on fire.

So the dog has given up on him, and only now comes to my side of the bed, sniffing, and barking and jumping until I manage to roll out.

I haul on my clothes and jacket and head outside hop on a bicycle that I have tied my dog to and we take off at break neck speed.

I am proud (or perhaps more importantly relieved) to say, that I have not actually broken my neck (as of yet).

I credit this mostly to god having a little pity on me, but also to my amazing ability to sense when the dog is about to drag me into the ditch, and scream bloody murder to avert it.

I have come to realize this is not some sort of outer body canine-whisperer talent that I have. I am not even close to being Cesar Millan, I don't have the cute accent, or the tight pants.

Nor do I have lightening speed reflexes (ever played "knuckles"?? not with me you didn't, because I learned my lesson the first time, I just can not win). I've simply realized that it's smarter to watch the dog, than the road.

Keep my eyes on the goal, and the goal is to keep the dog from dragging me sideways into a ditch after whatever fast moving object sparks his interest.

If I spent all of my energy looking for things that could steer us off course, I would probably worry over the wrong things (a neighbors barking dog) and miss the important ones (five deer in the ditch across from the neighbors driveway that the dog was barking at).

Take your eyes off the goal and you loose your focus (or in my case my ability to walk without crutches).