I could write "The End" and I bet you would understand.

Look at that face! Even if you're not a dog person, you do see that he's smiling, right? He is legit, smiling in the picture. He is at doggie daycare ( don't judge!) and he is the happiest dog on earth.

It wasn't always this way.

He was homeless.

Let me take you back.

It was 2012-2013. I had taken a position at a fitness apparel company, after having built a brand of candles & home goods that went global for the 4 years prior. This was my first venture back into the private sector, and it was an incredible position at the wrong company at a terrible time in my personal life. I was coming down from a 5-year adrenaline rush and hit the ground hard.

Perspective is everything.

It may have been a great company with wonderful people, but because it was a rough time personally, it cloudy everything else ( something to look at should you be in a bad way with yourself). It becomes hard to pull it all apart when you are going through it ...and much easier when reading about or hearing about someone else's life.

One seemingly random day, there was a lot of commotion & ruckus around the front door, only to find out, there was a small black dog running around the parking lot, where 18 Wheeler's were pulling in and out all day. He looked terrified. With the help of a trucker and a piece of bologna, we managed to get the "small black dog" into the back seat of my car. Once there, I wedged a comforter that was in my trunk, in between the back seat and where he was, just in case this 9-pound cutie decided to go nuts and become a beast while I was driving on the LA freeway, heading home.

We put some signs out in the nearby area, asked the other truckers if they knew of anyone missing a dog, and began looking on the missing dog sites for his owner who must be heartbroken. He wasn't fixed and he was terrified.

He was a stray...for sure. No doubt in my mind.

He slept in a crate that night and went off to the vet the next day, and to cut to the obvious chase, he stayed with us and Buddy became our family.

For the dog lovers out there, you will get this part.

Buddy has the energy and spirit of my Dad who passed over 20+ years ago.

He looks deep into my eyes for long periods of time. Almost like a staring contest. It's as though he knows if I am feeling a certain kind of way as if he is redirecting my attention toward love & calm that only he can bring, just like my Dad.

The comfort I feel when I'm with him is indescribable. It's simple yet oddly complex. Maybe because it seems strange that one can have such strong feelings for an animal. I love Buddy as much (or more) than many humans I've known...not that it's a contest...and I love many, many humans. I'm really just trying to convey the depth of my love for him.

My love run's deep.

You know when you look back on situations and think, "Why did I take that job?

There is usually a lesson or a blessing in everything that happens. In this case, I got a blessing while at that job. Instead of holding onto regret, anger, and resentment, why not look for either the lesson or the blessing as a re-frame on situations in your life and see what you come away with?

That job came at a transitional time for me. I came home every day and binge watched the entire series of the show "Lost", and I am not writing that for dramatic effect. I was seriously lost. How fascinating to see that so clearly now yet I am fairly certain then I had no awareness that I was literally lost in my life and watching the show "Lost" every single night. How's that for ya! The gift and blessing is that I found Buddy at the job. Had I not taken that position, he and I would never had met.

Thank God above I was in that turmoil and had the opportunity to take that position and work through that tough time and find this angel looking for me! What a gift.

Look for those gifts. Be open to them. They are actually seeking us all the time.

Holding onto the heaviness of the past ( sometimes literally) when things didn't go so well, can really limit what is waiting not only right now but tomorrow and beyond.

You don't have to go it alone.

That is some crazy falsehood we all got sold a long time ago. Whether you work with a Coach like me or a Licensed Therapist, enroll the help of someone that can give you a hand in seeing your way to better days. Every successful Coach I know works with a Coach. It's actually a "Power Move" in the game of up-leveling your life.

And in today's world...I take Buddy ( and my other dog, Ruby) as many places as I can.

Reach out, when you are ready to explore all that life has to offer

I see limitless possibilities. For you and for me. And for Buddy and Ruby.

xo,

Ilyse