Kay LaurenceKay Laurence (Learning About Dogs) · 글
photo: Clarisse Meyer I had a lesson in connection, recently. At first, it barely made it through the door. But it kept tapping and when I let it in, it had connection written all over it. It surprises me that it is a lesson I need repeated so often. Neighbors, six country blocks from my home, leave their trash bins at the road-side end of their driveway long after the trash collectors have come and gone. Of course, given that the bins are filled throughout the week, trash falls out and blows around their yard and the adjacent yards. It makes a messy, unsightly drive-by several times a day. We don’t know these neighbors, not even their names – they are veritable strangers. The six blocks may as well be 60 miles: who has the time? Yet, we have time to belly-ache about this inconsideration weekly, even to the point of asking the city councilors if there is a town ordinance preventing such trash-bin-trashiness. (They didn’t know.) Then, just last Tuesday, I drove by another neighbor’s house just three doors down from our home. We’ll call her Alice. I know her to see her at the post office. We wave and flick a quick smile as our cars pass in opposite directions about once a month. And, I remember a decade ago that the ambulance siren raised shivers when her husband passed away. What made last Tuesday’s drive-by different was that I noticed, as if for the first time, that Alice had trash bins at the end of her driveway too. Truth be known, her house is nothing short of ramshackle. AND YET, when I drove past this neighbor’s house, I thought to myself, “Gee, I sure hope Alice is doing ok and that she is enjoying her new baby granddaughter!” The difference of course can be described by many names, but “connection” works just fine. With Alice, my thoughts are “people-first” because we have a teeny, tiny bit of history shared, barely more than a face and a name, but that’s enough for connection . And with connection, everything tied to the bumper came along for the ride: compassion, empathy, caring, concern, patience and understanding. Heart. It’s not a lesson if it doesn’t change behavior. So, I’ve made a resolution for this and many years to come: Whenever I drive by the distant neighbor’s house, prompted by their trash bins, I will raise a hand, flick a smile and think to myself, “I hope your family is doing okay and that you are enjoying this day.” 6 Comments Chris Bond on 31st December 2018 at 8:57 pm This speaks volumes. Thank you for sharing, Susan! I will honor this insight whenever I begin a negative thought about a neighbor or other acquaintance who has
done something annoying… “with connection, everything tied to the bumper came along for the ride: compassion, empathy, caring, concern, patience and understanding. Heart.” Reply Julie on 31st December 2018 at 10:22 pm Breaching the divide between “us” and “them”, creating connections which allow us to see the “other” is so important. Small things (a smile, a wave) create big changes. Thanks Susan. Reply Heather Binns on 1st January 2019 at 12:38 am I love this Susan! A great lesson for all of us!! Reply Iris Maxfield on 1st January 2019 at 9:02 am This springs to mind the quote Kay has on her website. The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. Proust Reply Helen Mayes on 16th September 2019 at 12:56 pm Many people feel connection in their every day life with people, however in my own opinion they do not know what that feeling is, which I consider to be sad. Therefore many people do not understand how to be connected to their dog. Reply Sheila Allen on 4th April 2020 at 12:03 am Love this. You very simply, yet eloquently illustrate that there is bth an all or nothing quality to connection AND a degrees quality to connection. There is nothing “tied to the bumper” without connection and the degree of each quality that IS tied to the bumper once a connection is made ( even if that connection is only an awareness within our own minds and hearts) depends on the depth and breadth of the connection over time through experience. This is an illustration I will carry with me as a reminder in all areas of my life. Thank You Reply Submit a Comment Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website Submit Comment Δ The Joy of Learning by Frances McCormack | 2nd August 2022 | Connection | 0 Comments Curiosity, discovery, success, confidence, understanding, growth: all of these things can nurture a joy of learning for its own sake Read More In praise of naughty dogs by Frances McCormack | 31st January 2022 | Connection , Life with Dogs | 14 Comments .. a desire for solutions to problems that weren’t problems until someone else outside of the relationship suggested they were. Read More Connection starts with invitation by Sarah Owings | 1st January 2019 | Connection | 15 Comments Connection thrives in the absence of expectations, a precious freedom that fills the space between two beings when there is no agenda, no time limit, no “have to get it done.” Read More Connection is a dynamic quantity by Silvia Franken | 31st December 2018 | Connection | 1 Comment
Connection is a dynamic product of three ingredients: an emotional bond, memory and mental focus. Read More A deep trust and love for each other by Kay Laurence | 31st December 2018 | Connection | 8 Comments I learnt about connection with my horse Magnum. He was untouchable when he came to us, caught wild, taken to the sales – and ended up with us – because my daughter fell in love with him. Read More A lesson in connection by Susan Friedman | 31st December 2018 | Connection | 6 Comments At first, it barely made it through the door. But it kept tapping and when I let it in, it had connection written all over it. It surprises me that it is a lesson I need repeated so often. Read More Feeling comfortable by Time Collie | 30th December 2018 | Connection | 1 Comment We take time to train, but how connected are we as their trainer? Read More of yogis, dogs and humans by Kay Laurence | 29th December 2018 | Connection | 0 Comments Connection, as expression of trust, relationship, and finally of the deep attraction, which develops so easily between dogs and their human fellows, stains every single interaction and can be used as a potent reinforcer. Read More What does connection look like? by Kay Laurence | 27th December 2018 | Connection | 3 Comments It comes in many forms. Walking together, sitting quietly together, sharing a mental or physical task. Individuals can be connected without looking at each other; just feeling each other’s presence is perhaps the strongest type of connection. These activities can all be done with or without connection, but with connection they appear fluent. Read More Connection: A Conversation for Life by Kay Laurence | 26th December 2018 | Connection | 8 Comments In the busy-ness of life connection can be the last thing considered. Living with a dog is about developing a relationship and all successful relationships are based on connection. So just what is connection and why is it important? Read More