Resilience

As people around me reflected on their 2008 and made plans for 2009 it got me to thinking about resiliency. What makes a person or animal more resilient? What makes a person stay positive through tough times? New Year's Day is within itself a fresh start. A clean slate if you will. Even though I consider myself a positive person a lot of negative things happened in 2008.

What I have learned from the negative things that have happened:

1. Pet Insurance is not a bad thing and something to add to the 2009 to do list.
2. Life never follows your plan. Just when you think things are good something will happen to derail things.
3. An animal's heart or desire will trump what you believe they are capable of. Tessa finished a dog trial running on a broken foot with nary a whimper or limp.
4. What goes around comes around. Reba's owner sold her because Reba's mother jumped off the tractor while doing chores, got her foot stuck in the ladder and broke her leg. Reba's sale went towards the massive vet bill. Two months later I realize Tessa has a broken foot which forces the acquisition of a major vet bill.
5. Just because someone calls themselves a trainer doesn't mean they're a skilled trainer.

Wish list for 2009:

1. No more major vet bills!
2. Breed Whiskey for a May baby.
3. Take in some local horse shows with the babies.
4. Trial Reba and Tessa.
5. One litter of pups from Bella - then off the vet she goes for a spay, tattoo and microchip.
6. Develop website for my stock dog training.

Now whether or not the plan works out only time will tell. One can hope, think positively and work hard towards making the plan become reality.