The Sweet Spot

Every morning when I see our dog Smokey roll on his back in a morning ritual, with his belly up, looking for a gentle rub, I can’t help but be reminded of Snoopy from Peanuts thinking “I must admit that I have a pretty good life”! All Smokey’s basic needs, however simple, are taken care of - be it his food, shelter and walks. We have tried getting fancier with him, like dressing him in snazzy jackets to protect him from the cold, but he hates them and gets rid of them by aggressively tearing them up. The walks are the most exciting part of his day where he can socialize with other dogs, and snag heavenly treats from some generous dog owners and generally meander in the wilderness. The rest of the day he naps for long periods of time, mostly finding a cozy place next to humans going about their daily business. The part about Snoopy’s, and Smokey’s “pretty good life” feels even more relatable when I read about overachiever working dogs. There are sniffer dogs busy training to be the next...

The school year 2016-17 in our town started with a dark fall season ending in a darker winter. The school community was mourning, grieving and learning to cope with the deaths of two current students and two past students who took their own lives. Then on a cold, dark winter evening in January when I entered my daughter’s room, she was in shock and unconsolable. “It’s a fifth grader....he is so young...only ten!” That evening is etched in my mind. If it took so much for our family to come to terms with this incident, I wondered what the boy’s family would have gone through. It has been more than four years since this incident, when quite coincidentally I noticed a page set up by a mother in the memory of her radiant boy. I was drawn to this duo and as I looked deeper caught sight of innumerable posts - some touching, some heartbreaking, but mostly inspiring, and tremendously positive in the face of an unthinkable tragedy. My throat tightened as I read “Sometimes it feels like he is jus...