Setting the Tone

Posted on by Wynne Leon

My good humor was stretched a little thin last week. In fact, if you had asked me, I would have told you that life was feeling like a little bit of a slog. And while we are on the subject [of me complaining], I was also feeling broke. Even though my income hasn’t changed and I fortunately haven’t had any extraordinary expenses.

Surprisingly, it took me a few days to sort out the reason why.

Cooper the dog (a one-year-old puppy in a big dog body), has been having some GI problems. Was it the yellow colored pencil he ate? Or the sunscreen? Maybe the head of the pink flamingo from the yard? The combo of a young dog and young children means no end to the possibilities of contraband to consume.

Whatever it was, I had been waking up to some poo messes nearly every morning. I started my days last week cleaning carpets. Was it any wonder that I was feeling sh!tty? Pardon my language, but it fits the situation so perfectly.

Experts warn against scrolling through social media feeds late at night or first thing in the morning. I’ve only half paid attention since that’s not my habit anyway. But my recent experience helped me understand why.

When I start my day as usual with sacred time for reading and meditating, I have a decent chance of facing the rest of the day with some openness, curiosity, and calm. But when I start the day gagging and swearing, well…it turns out the tone for the rest of the day isn’t so good.

Cooper seems to be feeling better. And not surprisingly, so am I. I think we’ve both learned that what we consume effects us long after we’ve taken it all in.

40 thoughts on “Setting the Tone”

  1. Hope you’re feeling better Wynne. We all fall victim to the “slog” now-and-then. Glad you and Cooper are feeling better. There’s nothing worse than waking to doggie issues! And it’s fascinating to learn how philosophical young Cooper is. He’s so right, we are what e consume. You go Coop!🤣🤣😎😎

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  2. I’m very sorry for the recent slog, Wynne, and for Cooper’s GI issues. I hope it’s a short hump and that cleaner clearer days are ahead.

    I totally agree with the social media scrolling advice, whether it’s doom-scrolling or otherwise, especially first or last thing on each day!

    Here’s to a better rest of the week!

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  3. yes, it seems to all come at once and can be overwhelming, making you feel defeated at times. you are fighting the good battle and doing the best you can, and know that this will pass, but for now….
    i think you’ve made a thoughtful decision to reclaim your days on your own terms.

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  4. Glad you are feeling better, Wynne. The people and creatures who surround us do inevitably have an impact, good or bad. So, too, what we read, watch, and listen to. But if we don’t take in enough of the world while we can do something about it, it sneaks up on us. Of course, the scent and stain of dog poo doesn’t exactly do much sneaking, does it?

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    1. Ha, I’m laughing about the scent and stain. You’re right – nothing sneaky about that. And you make a good point about the balance. There’s a responsibility to stay involved but also a need to be reasonable about intake.

      On another topic, I sent you an email yesterday. Given that I often go to your SPAM, I thought I’d mention it. 🙂

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  5. Cooper, Cooper, Cooper…the super pooper. I know he’s barely a one-year-old…but let’s hope his “teething” phase is almost over.
    I like your strategy, my friend…taking care about what you consume. (Love the comments from friends – below – also. On point!) 🥰

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    1. I think that could be a song, don’t you? If Rusty has one, so should Cooper! 🙂 You’re right – taking care about consumption is important. One of the reasons I love HoTM and you!! ❤ ❤ ❤

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  6. Swap a chewy dog toy for the flamingo. In fact, get a few. Some have scents of beef, etc.-or slots where you can put peanut butter! Certain chew toys will be more enticing, so don’t give up if initially he isn’t interested. Some chew toys break apart and are choking hazards, so read labels. Good luck! 🙂

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    1. Great suggestion, Nancy! There’s a playful aspect to this – he likes to take things that we’ll chase him for. I suspect we’ll all grow out of this stuff to some degree. 🙂 But I so appreciate you chiming in!

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  7. Oh Wynne, I so relate on so many levels! I’m glad that you and Cooper are both feeling better—but please pardon my giggles over the doggie doo-doo consequences. My Charlie once ate a green crayon, and trust me when I say that the next day doo-doo looked exactly like the crayon without the label, except bigger. I’ll bet it was easier to chew than a colored pencil!

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    1. Oh, I’m laughing, Julia! Charlie, Charlie, Charlie.

      A while back, Mr. D looked in the yard and said, “Cooper pooped ON a unicorn.” I looked and said, “No, Cooper POOPED a unicorn.” 🙂 There’s a lot around here including small squishy unicorns to eat… 🙂

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  8. I’m glad to hear that both you and Cooper are feeling better. Such profound wisdom in that final line: what we consume effects us long after we’ve taken it all in. Hopefully, this week give you quiet and peaceful morning, so start everyone off on the right foot.

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  9. You’ve hit on something everyone can relate to—bad days. I suppose the key is are we able to get ourselves out of a funk when life gets annoying. Everyone has to find what works for them, but I like a change in environments. Finding something I enjoy doing also helps. It seems meditation is that for you, Wynne. Isn’t it comforting to know you’ve got a healthy path forward instead of turning to drugs or alcohol?

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  11. Some dogs are like that! Waffles the pug is incorrigible. Because of his small size, the things he swallows have become problems. He had a piece of wood stuck in his small intestine and needed surgery. He’s probably been to ER at least six times for things he put in his mouth and stomach.

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      1. Oh my goodness! Once he ate an adderall that a roommate dropped on the kitchen floor. At our house during COVID, he ate a package of pork chops defrosting in the sun including styrofoam and plastic wrap. Then he ate the berries falling off our Ficus tree, which are fine for a dog like yours, but toxic to a dog Waffles size, which is under 20lbs. The only good news is after one ER visit, my daughter bought Dog Health Insurance.

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  13. I understand the slog feeling. Glad you’re coming out of it. I also understand cleaning up after pets! Both Mimi and Walter coughed up fur balls overnight. Just when I thought the cleaning was done, I discovered one of them had gotten sick. We love our pets but not their messes!

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  14. This might make you feel better (or, at least be grateful that it wasn’t worse): my cousin came home to dog poop on the carpet (poor doggie had an upset stomach so, let’s just say, it was rather large and runny). Anyway, in between the dog’s mess and her arrival home, her Rumba vacuum cleaner had performed its pre-programmed duty… or, maybe I should say doody, because it had dragged the poop everywhere around her living room.

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  15. I love how you pulled the consuming part together. You’re so right Wynne, what we consume affects us more than we know. It may not show up like poor Coop’s poops, but it’s there swirling inside us.
    I’m wishing you a much better week, full of wonder and gifts from the universe.
    Keep going mama! You are amazing! 💕

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  17. Glad to hear Cooper is feeling better and that he’s not leaving “special gifts” for you in the morning or any time! The struggle is real with pups! We just took in 2 stray pitt mixes (yes, we are insane) who are about 8-12 months old. And … one’s a chewer. We’ve got all kinds of cool chew toys for him, and yet…he’s chewed up and eaten parts of 3! of my heating pads. Why!?! RIP to your flamingo! Hopefully, both our pups will be over this phase pronto!

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