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A strategically inserted space can vastly change the structure and meaning of a word. The title of this post is a good example. The letters: n, o, w, h, e, r, e when put together in this order form the single word nowhere, meaning not anywhere. Let’s consider this structure: n, o, w, (space), h, e, r, e. By adding a space in the middle of the same succession of letters, a phrase is formed: now here, meaning imm

I am lost, really freaking lost. The “YOU ARE HERE” signs surround me and they look familiar, but I don’t know where I am. Over the past 30 years, I’ve needed to find my direction many times. I unconsciously visit this destination frequently. It’s filled with storm clouds and a growing intensity to the winds-of-change which threaten destruction. Despair and discontent surround me like th

Shortly after sunrise on a late spring morning, I walked to the end of the dock at my sister’s and brother-in-law’s house. After seeing the name of their boat, Next Chapter… , a heaviness of emotions consumed my chest. The quiet activity of Cornfield Creek provided a perfect backdrop while I contemplated life and sipped my coffee in the comfort of an Adirondack deck chair. I watched a bonded pair of

Sometime in the middle of March 2020, my emotions began growing weary and my physical body tires more easily now while exerting less effort. My symptomatic suffering is a result of one thing: job burnout. I have suffered from this intermittent dis-ease since 2006 when I created a private dog training business, The Problem Pooch. I recognize what the source of my condition is, but I also understand there is no known c

This post will be a stray off course for me, but my muse has been pestering me to share a message in a unique way. So, here we go. Every evening, I settle into a restful spot on the sofa and fluff up a head rest alongside my right hip. Meanwhile, our five-year-old male Samoyed dog, Tuukka, watches me intensely, waiting for his prompt. “Okay, big boy. You ready to snuggle? C’mon up.” Before I can pat

Nearly all of my life, I have held jobs where others have told me what to do, when to do it, and where to do it. In return, I received a paycheck. And nearly all of my life, I’ve not maintained an allegiance to a single employer for more than four years. I’ve disappointed a lot of people, including myself sometimes. I’ve brought my dear wife, Cathy, along with me to some harrowing crossroads. Some p

I received a Facebook message on October 16, 2019 from the animal control officer in our little town of Ledyard. “Hi Peter. I just want to put a bug in your. There is a Samoyed at Norwich Animal Control. They got custody of her today. Her owner died. She came in with a cat; seems like a sweet girl.” I called our animal control officer, “Can you pull her from Norwich?” “Yes, I can do that

This week, between the Christmas holiday and the New Year has left me feeling out-of-sorts. Corporations began their onslaught on the senses and emotions of consumers in early October. Halloween begins the bombardment of urging us to pretend and dress up as people other than who we are. In the industry of government, we experience Halloween everyday. However, politicians reverse their roles – they wear their co

I had an experience last Wednesday that broke a levy which held back an ever-rising flood of my emotions. A single tear slowly cascaded down my cheek as I walked across a busy parking lot of the building I just left. My eyelids “gave-way” once I reached the shielding comfort of my car. For several months, my attention and energy has been directed away from the elements of my life where I am comfortably pr

Within you, exists a power to change lives. I beg of you to respond when someone calls to you for help. This morning, a friend reached out to my wife, Cathy, with an urgent plea. “Is Peter available today? My neighbor is pet-sitting two dogs; one of them got out last night and she can’t get it back. She’s an absolute mess and needs help.” “Yes. We can help as soon as he’s done with

In late 2018, I spent an afternoon by myself getting back to the earth and enjoyed an uneventful stroll along the unmarked footpaths of a state forest. I came upon this ambitious plan-in-progress of a beaver. This artwork of Mother Nature made me pause and reflect. Why did the beaver start this project? How long will it take to finish? What made it choose this tree versus the one closer to the river bank? What will t

The observance of this day, on the last Monday in May, is an annual remembrance of those who have died (men & women in the U.S. Military) during their service to the United States of America. I have no authority to broaden this definition, but I’m going to do it anyway and I hope you stick with me until the end of this post. I know many people, some very well, while some are acquaintances, who have served t

I’m sure you have driven on an interstate highway and rolled your eyes while looking in the rear-view mirror at a car weaving around the slower moving traffic.  “What’s the hurry?” They zip on past you and continue their antics as they rush toward their destination.  Maybe they have a medical emergency, are impatient, or just plain rude.  No matter the reason, I’m sure the

  In the past six weeks, life has taken a dramatic turn for three families in our circle of close friends. No, make that four. I will include Cathy and me. Why all at once? Look past the details, Peter. What does the big picture look like? Family 1: A husband left a job he loved. The poor leadership skills of his boss reduced his vocation to just-a-job. It was difficult to watch the gradual but systematic weathe

New life-experiences are filled with uncertainty. They can be downright terrifying or they can bring joy and a sense of satisfaction. It all depends on our perspective and our attitude. Take Tux, for instance. He’s the Samoyed launching himself into a wave. Now, he is a sled dog who is genetically predisposed to loving winter. He’s got a thick double-coat of fur which is made to protect him

Society has labeled me as a  “dog trainer” for 12 years now. Yesterday, I had an appointment with a new client. As I entered the home, an uneasiness overwhelmed me as my eyes noticed an adorable 4-month old American Bulldog puppy. What problem does this dog have that is hanging over the owners like a black cloud? As we sat and talked in the living room, their non-verbal, autistic child entered the ro

The other day on my drive to work,  I heard a deejay report on his segment, Four Random Facts, a morsel of useless information about something called a Quarter-life Crisis. I don’t even remember what the tidbit was because I was so damn annoyed. I’m sure we all have seen, or even know someone who is having a Mid-life crisis. I don’t need to explain the details. That phrase and its connotat

Have you ever met someone and thought, “Well she’s certainly full of herself”? It’s called arrogance. Conversely, have you ever met someone who speaks softly and won’t look you in the eye when they speak? Well, that’s someone who lacks self-confidence. It’s not pleasant to be around either one of those individuals. Thankfully, the majority of the people I know who are reading

Having been a dog trainer since 2006, I could proclaim to be a Master of my trade due to my years of experience. However, over the past 6 weeks, I’ve had defining moments that challenged every ounce of my knowledge, experience, and emotions. They reinforced my belief that I am no Master. While sitting on a cold tile floor of a veterinarian’s Quiet Room, I gently stroked the head of a dog, Luigi, that

It was 10:45 pm on a Saturday night when my cell phone rang. I told Cathy, “It’s Pam. She’s probably butt-dialing. If it’s important she’ll leave a message.” 1 missed call. 1 new voicemail: Pam sounded distraught. “Peter. My Destiny is gone. I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know where to look. Please call me when you get this.” After I brushed my teeth

Having been unemployed for 10 months, I learned some simple lessons that I think are worthy of sharing. Here they are: 1. A skilled and experienced instructor does not equate to being a good teacher. 2. Sometimes, a struggling student has an inexperienced, unskilled, or ineffective teacher, or a combination of those qualities. 3. A good teacher is always a good student too. 4. Sometimes, we are better off redire

I didn’t shake hands, hug, or talk to all of my classmates at our 30th high school reunion last night. I will admit there were a few people in attendance whom I did not recognize. I had to covertly ask someone I did know, “Do you know who that is?” I will also freely admit that I stayed pretty close to my comfort zone of well-established friendships. And many of the others gravitated toward their fa

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and is credited for this gem of a phrase: “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” Oftentimes, we consider a door closing as an action that was brought upon us by someone else. For example: “They chose somebody else.” “They decid

June 21, 2017 The iPhone in my pocket vibrated and startled me. The notification read: 1 missed call and voicemail. Oh, it was Lynn. Maybe she needs us to take Tux for a few days. Meet AKC Champion Mystic Oz’s Formal Affair (Tux, for short.)   Lynn’s voice was choppy and filled with despair. “Peter, please give me a call as soon as you can. We are at the vet with Tux right now.” I called

I enrolled in a 10-week long class to learn how to weld. Why not? I’m still unemployed and the state of Connecticut will pay for the training, so what have I got to lose. Electric Boat/General Dynamics is hiring literally hundreds of welders. They offer great pay, full benefits, and year-round employment. That’s a trifecta that I haven’t had in nearly 20 years. I was told that I would almo

  I first met Jennifer Roberts in 1983 while waiting at a school bus stop when we were both freshmen in high school. At that time, kids who lived in about a 1-mile radius were allowed to “pick up the bus” at a central location. Our stop was at the Southwood Acres shopping plaza. Every morning, a congregation of 20-30 kids would gather at the “town hall” (actually a DairyMar

but I finally used the knowledge I gained from two years of high school Latin. Yes, Latin. Semper Fidelis, verbatim, vice versa, magna cum laude, pro bono, per diem, fac simile, bona fide, et cetera (etc.) These are great examples of how Latin is omnipresent (another e.g. – exempli gratia.) So you see, Latin is a part of our everyday lives but I am not writing this post to elaborate on the virtues of a “d

There can be no debate that we are living in a troubling time. Bernie got screwed, Hillary lost, Trump won, it’s the Russians’ fault, womens’ march, Muslim ban, violent protests, Obamacare repeal, the wall, fake media, etc. This list could go on and it seems endless. Newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV bombard us with their jaded opinions, agendas, and misinformation. It is hard to decipher fact fr

“Hi. My name is John Doe. Who are you?” “I’m Jane Smith. I’m an accountant with XYZ company.” “It’s nice to meet you, Jane. I’m a marketing assistant with XYZ company. You must be on the 4th floor. I’m on the second floor.” I’m sure you have experienced something like this a few times throughout your life. How often do we answer the question, 

Music and/or writing has always been an emotional therapist for me. In this post, I combine the two. I first heard this song, Seagull, when I was a senior in high school. It played as the background music for a video tribute in our Senior Variety Show to our classmate, Ray Linehan, who had died in a car accident earlier that Spring. The song drove me to tears then and it still does today. Whenever I listen to it,  I

All soldiers who served in the Armed Forces are veterans. But not all veterans served in the Armed Forces. You see, a veteran is someone who has a lot of service time in a particular discipline, which does not have to include military experience. I believe that we are all veterans with a specialized skill and dedication to our Commander-In-Chief: ourselves. We are all soldiers. We have fought in battles and wars on t

So, yes, today is my birthday. And it is a big deal for me! Society dictates that this is my day for receiving well wishes, cards, gifts, cakes, and parties. Well, I’m not one to simply go along with a “well this is the way we’ve always done it” sort of mentality. Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly grateful and thankful that I have so many wonderful people in my life who wish well for me

Shortly before graduating from my senior year of high school, I experienced my first tragedy: an auto accident took the life of a classmate. Ray was taken from this Earth too soon. I sat next to Ray in Computer Science class that semester and just a few days before. He was a friend. My older brothers and sister were friends with his older brothers and sisters. Our parents were friends and both heavily involved in the

The DOT and the DMV required me (and any individual) to pass a medical exam before I started a commercial driver’s license class. With a heart attack and a stroke under my belt, that was a monumental task in itself, but a doctor eventually gave me the required medical clearance. Next up: Classroom work. I know how to fill my gas tank, add oil, and put air in my car tires. That’s pretty much the extent of

I sat in a chair at the end of Tammy’s bed. She was sleeping and didn’t know I was there to see her. Cancer had systematically taken all the color and freckles out of her skin. Chemo left behind only small and thin traces of her thick flowing red hair in its path of destruction. I held my head in my hands as I saw a beautiful friend reduced to a brittle shell of a physical body. Our Father… Hail Mar

  November 19, 2015: “Pete! I have some news to share with you and it’s not good news. Our beautiful friend Tammy was diagnosed on Monday with stage 4 colon cancer… She is terrified but holding steady. Please reach out to her when you can and pray for her and her family. Hopefully we can help her feel hope and loved.” I had not seen, nor talked to Tammy in about 10 years, even though she

  PAST I was always restless. I was confused. I was lost. I blindly followed the status quo. I was without spirit.   PRESENT I am less agitated. I am of clear mind. I am aware. I am leaving footprints so others may see. I am awake.   FUTURE I will be comfortable. I will be alive. I will be a student and a teacher. I will be my purpose. I will be my destiny.   THE END (when it comes) I am my soul.

We can experience moments in our lives that dramatically change the way we choose to live. We gave them different labels: A Wake-up Call, A Defining Moment, An Out Of Body Experience, or A Close Call just to name a few. Sometimes, we know exactly when that moment occurs. Sometimes, we don’t recognize a beneficial hardship for quite awhile. And for some people, they never see it or experience it. March 18, 2014

In mid-October, I took a leap of faith. I acted on an emotional whim, quit my job, moved to Vermont and began a new job. Cathy and I crafted a plan: She would stay in Connecticut and prepare the house to put on the market. She would sell the house in the spring, find a job in Vermont, and we’d finally live our dream life. Sounded like an easy and “do-able” plan. The problem was, life is never quite

The other day, a bald eagle soared into my life and landed gracefully in a nearby tree. I could not see it very well while it rested on a high limb that still clings to its rust-colored leaves of Autumn. I watched in awe as the biggest of all birds capable of flight flew away with ease and grace. Why did I just see you? What do you have to teach me? Where are you going? Whose spirit are you carrying? With curiosity a

While cleaning out a closet today, I found a five page memoir that my mother had written about the home that she grew up in. Today, I write this blog post for my parents. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for raising me in a loving home. That’s me in the picture above with my first and best friend, Rusty, playing in our front yard. 1 Keen Court was the address of my learning laboratory. It was a small lab; there were onl

  Four years ago, nearly to the day, I saw a horrific display of destruction. It was one mile wide and six miles long. Standing in the middle of the stretch, I turned 360 degrees and I saw, but more importantly, I FELT the devastation. I arrived in Joplin, Missouri – the town which suffered an EF-5 tornado  at 5:41 pm (Sunday) on May 22, 2011. In less than 30 minutes the storm took 160 lives and destroyed

 I’m not talking about some current conspiracy theory of an authority figure invading our privacy. I’m talking about angels. Last Friday, my oldest brother, Matthew, died of heart failure. Matthew was 10 years older than me and we didn’t have much in common. In fact, my last conversation with him didn’t go well. You see, I tried one last tough-love approach to get him to change his ways. It wa

It’s been almost 18 months since my opponent, Status Quo, knocked me on my ass. I stood up and went to my corner. My nemesis taunted me from across the ring while a proverbial referee started to count me out. I focused on what I could control – my attitude and my effort. I was a motivated and compliant fighter. The hospital released me two weeks early for good behavior and better health. When I arrived ho

There was a time when this building was a staple as a place for creating positive memories for the city and the community. This building used to be in the fore front of peoples’ minds. In other words, it is was in their consciousness. For years, it’s been unoccupied, a forgotten eyesore for passersby. The grounds have been neglected. It’s just another building in the city. In other words, it has bee

The first Monday of September is a day that we celebrate as a national holiday. Labor day is the unofficial end of Summer. Well, Mother Nature doesn’t think so as 90 degree temperatures and high humidity are going to return to the northeast United States this week. It is the unofficial start of a new school year. Really? I have been stuck behind school buses on my way to work for two weeks now. I’m pretty

I announced to my fellow landscaper, “I’ve never seen a praying mantis fly before. That was pretty cool!” I took a few moments to snap some photos on my iPhone and went back to work. The following day, I was trimming bushes again at the same apartment complex, but in a different location. What did I see? You guessed it. A praying mantis which looked INCREDIBLY similar to the one I saw the day before

Last week, as I prepared to go to work, I swiveled my office chair from beneath my desk and I saw a vision that I was not prepared to see. It was Steele, the male Samoyed dog that Cathy and I affectionately called our first son. Steele died almost four years ago and I haven’t mourned for him in quite some time. In a literal blink of my eyes, Steele’s spirit occupied the body of our Husky/Akita mix, looked

My task, I assumed, would be simple: “Trim Bushes.” At first sight and from a distance my job appeared to be easy because I didn’t see what lied beneath the surface. Upon closer inspection, an invasive and undesirable Bittersweet vine had entrenched itself within an old, established, and healthy Juniper bush. In time, the parasitic vine would have grown thicker and killed the bush. The bush needed h

The poaching of Cecil, the lion, has sparked public outrage and not just in the animal-loving community. It saddened me to learn that the world lost a beautiful animal because of the greed of a few humans. I don’t understand the greed that lives inside of the American dentist. He has repeatedly felt the need to assert his false supremacy over exotic animals by killing them. The hunt leaders, who willing accepte

Over the past few days, I have spent a considerable amount of time catching up with an old friend. He was my best friend when I was a child, and then as I grew older, we grew apart. I reunited with him briefly in my mid-20s and in light of the life-changing year I had in 2014, I decided to look him up again. I am talking about Winnie The Pooh. Yes. I consider him as my friend! As a young boy, I was all about the lova

In my post, The Journey Of  A Thousand Miles,  I wrote, “I believe we should live fully, be awake and aware, while traveling on our journeys and not be so concerned about the destination.” This evening, while sitting by our fire pit, with our pack of dogs, my muse delivered this post to me, so here it goes. I’m becoming well skilled in the art of rolling with the changes, because I’ve learned

Having not yet fully recovered from the loss of our own Allie Boo, I learned today that the world lost another friend. And so I am meeting with my therapist again, this blog. Meet Kiya, a soft-hearted husky mix. She belonged to a good friend of Cathy and me. Although she was cautious and careful, there weren’t many dogs, kitties, or people she didn’t like. She was everybody’s friend. She was that ki

The first sentence in my book, I’m In, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” is attributed to the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu. This pearl of wisdom is one of those quotes that I “go to” very frequently when I need a little pick-me-up. And I certainly needed a boost this past week. Last week, Cathy and I had to put one of our dogs to sleep. I made sure my eyes were

In the distance, and above the noise of the air conditioner, I hear a faint voice. “Harow… Harow…” It’s my alarm clock talking to me. Her name is Scarlett. Yes, my alarm clock has a name. I try to hit the snooze button, knowing that this feature hasn’t worked in years. “Not yet, Scarlett.” I slowly open one eye to scope out the landscape. The digital clock on my nightst

“Practice makes perfect.” No it doesn’t. “It gets easier with time.” No it doesn’t. “Time heals all wounds.” No it doesn’t. I’ve tried this “exercise” six times before and I still wake up sore as hell. I’m not getting any better at this. In fact, I think I’m actually getting worse. And I’m certainly not looking forward to doing

Today is the fourth of July. A day when people in the United States celebrate the anniversary of declaring their independence from the British. Declaring independence. What does that mean? Independent: free from influence, guidance, or control of another. Interesting concept isn’t it? But how many of us conform to others’ expectations. We act a certain way because of someone else’s perception of us.

In the quietness of frequent 90-minute, 3rd-shift commutes to work, I would talk to myself. Peter, what are you doing this for?  Is this job worth the sacrifices you are making? You have been to hell and back already, and you are literally driving yourself back to that dark place. You know, there are a lot of unemployed people who would appreciate this job. You should stick it out. You have to help support your famil

A few days ago, I saw daffodils poking through the flower bed that lines our driveway. As I approached them, they screamed with excitement, “Spring is coming. Spring is coming!” Not so fast. Seasons don’t  listen to weather forecasters and they don’t follow a calendar. They don’t circle an approaching appointment for an anniversary, birthday, or retirement day. Seasons flow from one to t

This post has been floating  and swirling around in my mind like clouds in the sky for several months. Today, they came together to form an image and this blog post. Cathy and I stood in the back of a full-beyond-capacity church for a memorial service of my brother’s girlfriend, who died unexpectedly in a car accident on Thanksgiving eve. I saw my brother sitting near the front of the church, with another broth

Today is Halloween. A day when children are generously rewarded, with lots of candy, for their costumes and playing make-believe. During this season, adults dress-up in outlandish outfits and have a fun day at the office, attend parties, or go to a bar. The rewards are different for adults: maybe a day off, a cash prize, or a free drink. Halloween is a season of walking through haunted houses or corn mazes and watchi

I had to keep my eyes closed because I was experiencing a horrible case of double-vision and I had just vomited from the breathing apparatus that was lodged in the back of my throat. I heard my wife, Cathy, talking to someone, presumably a doctor. I will never forget the words I heard, as I lay on a gurney, waiting to be transferred to a different hospital. “Your husband had a stroke during the procedure.”

“Hardship displays character, it doesn’t build it.” These are words that I heard from an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project manager a few years ago. They still resonant with me today. Think about the words for a moment. Hardship displays character. As a volunteer for four different Extreme builds, I saw some real ugly displays of character. Some volunteers refused to pick up trash while others l

For two weeks, after I completed my physical, occupational, and speech therapies, I would take a moment for appreciating the simple things I had in life. Everyday, I would look at the emerging Crokus and Daffodils in the community garden. The fragile flowers were my symbols of strength. They gave me hope. Hope that I would continue to see myself as a survivor.  I wanted to stay away from a dark path where I would thi

Questions are like an annoying tickle in your throat that just won’t go away. And the answers, like remedies, are hit or miss. I’ve tried nose sprays to stop the post-nasal drip. Hot tea with lemon and honey (I tried it with whiskey once. Yuck!) Cough drops. Expectorants. Suppressants. Yet, the irritation of an unproductive cough still lingers. And so it is with the questions that I have. They hang around

The doctor placed a stethoscope over my right lung and said, “Take a deep breath.” I tried to comply, but my chest broke into a convulsive coughing attack. He moved his instrument to my back. “Again.” I was barely able to fight off another violent and unproductive fit of hacking and wheezing. The doctor leaned against the wall and folded his arms. “You’ve got plenty of stuff bangin

Life is troubling. For me, for a high school friend, for a senior citizen, and probably for 9 out of 10 people that you know. I received an email from my parents yesterday that disturbed me. They told a story about a gentleman who lives in their retirement community. He lives alone, has cancer, can’t afford medication, and is behind in paying his bills. Why does this story trouble me? Because he decided that hi

Meet Rooney. She is a female Great Dane, who lacks confidence.  Her insecurity has led to frequent panic attacks and frightening episodes of aggression around her family. A large dog with high anxiety is like mixing oil and water. It’s messy! I am not a dog “whisperer.” I don’t have a television show, and I don’t have a syndicated column that I write. I have never spoken to thousands of adoring fans on a nationwide t

Cousteau was on my lap, like a remora is to a shark – always attached. He’s been that way for 15 years. On this particular morning, he jarred himself out of a dead sleep with his typical and agonizing announcement that he is going to throw up. “Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah!” “Oh! C’mon Cousteau. I just got comfortable.” All six dogs came scurrying into the living room as though the

As I exited the kennel, with Sadie by my side, our Office Manager, Jan,  said, “Peter, that story you wrote about Sadie the other day still cracks me up.” I jokingly replied, “You know, I’ve got a bit of writer’s block. I need something to happen so I can write another story.” Sadie was doing wonderful in all her obedience exercises, on-leash. I wanted to give her a little freedom

A stiff wind blew the light and fluffy snow into my face. It was abrasive like a luffa sponge. When I was a child, my mother used to slather Vaseline on my face when I would go on a day-long sledding adventure. Today, a scarf would have sufficed. Sadie, a two-year old Corgi/Collie mix walked in a perfect heel position as we trudged along through the freshly fallen snow of Storm Hercules. The “feels like”

For months, I’ve been struggling with self confidence as a writer. Am I good enough? Who reads or cares about what I have to say anyway? Do my words make a difference to anyone? As fate, or more correctly, God’s grace would have it, I changed my mind today. Earlier today, I let our dogs outside. They became fixated on a big green pick-up truck that was stopped in the middle of our dead-end street. A young

My task: Weigh Leroy, the chocolate lab. Sounds easy enough right? Insert an inconvenience: The scale is on the second floor. I put a leash on Leroy, and he respectfully walked with me towards the stairs. You’re a nice dog. You don’t pull too much on the leash. As I began to climb the stairs I felt the leash became taut behind me. I tried to continue but Leroy wasn’t following. Hmm. Is he being a br

As I sit on a large rock in my backyard, I am waiting for my muse to make her presence known. I hear two birds conversing in a tree behind me. Their vocabulary is limited to five syllables, repeated over and again. “Chick-a-dee-dee-dee.” In a nearby lilac tree sit two Black-Capped Chickadees, next to an empty bird feeder. I take a break from cursing writer’s block to re-fill the feeder. I say with a

Imagine that you play the position of shortstop for a baseball team. You have played the position for seven years. You are an athlete. You have a strong skill set that complements your abundance of talent. All of a sudden, you are asked to switch positions. You now have to play the position of second base. You tell yourself, “No problem.” Suddenly, reality hits you. You find yourself fumbling with your fo

Have you ever had your back against a rock while staring at a hard place? It’s an uncomfortable place isn’t it? It’s a place with few options. And the options you do have are unattractive. Have you ever anxiously worked to find a new job after leaving (or being forced to leave) an old job. The waiting is painful. Days, weeks, and months can pass without results. You become stuck. Not wanting to retu

The ruptured blisters on my feet made it painful to walk on the scorching pavement of the Orlando city streets. The blazing sun and humidity of summer stole my breath and sapped what little energy I had left. My stomach ached from the hunger pains of not eating a solid meal in weeks. The bounty of fat I once carried was gone, exposing my ribs. Parasites lived on my flesh. The open sores from their bites hurt my skin.

I’d listen to a few songs from a clunky 8-track tape player while thumbing through a stack of 12″ vinyl records. I’d choose an album and queue it up on a turntable. I also had a double cassette deck to work with. I was a rock-n-roll deejay, in my older brother’s bedroom. I was 10. I could spend half a day in Andy’s room listening to his current American Rock (now considered Classic Rock.

The branches of the rose bush looked like tentacles of  two octopuses playing a game of Twister. The gangly stems could not support the slight weight of the pale pink flowers. The ground was a cemetery of dead blossoms. I had been neglectful, and the bush was no longer beautiful. It was a beast! With a pair of pruners in hand, I approached the eye sore and started snipping the far-reaching limbs. I am no Master Garde

There are all kinds of seasons: Hot and humid. Rain and mud. Cold and snowy. Mosquito, allergy, strawberry picking, and football are just a few examples of the seasons we enjoy or dread. We can neither change what happened in previous seasons, nor accurately predict future outcomes. Seasons remind me of life.  Always changing and always filled with elements of good and bad. Spring brings green grass, blooming flowers

I wrote this and originally posted it as a tribute for Newtown, CT. However, it’s message still rings true in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. I think it is worthy of posting again. Hold on to love. Let go of hatred. Love will comfort. Hatred hurts like a thorn.  I know. Hold on to hope. Let go of desperation. Hope will heal. Desperation will destroy. I know. Hold on to patience. Let go of intoler

Marathon Monday. Patriot Day. Kids home from school. 11:00 A.M. game time for Red Sox. Bruins in the Garden at 7:00 P.M. It’s a good day to be a Bostonian. In fact, many New Englanders play hookey from their work or school to partake in the day’s festivities. But, on Monday April 15th, 2013, all celebrating, relaxing and enjoying a day off from normal life ceased, when the first of 2 bombs exploded at the

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sold on the idea that technological advances means progress. Dave Matthews wrote a lyric, “Progress takes away what forever took to find.” I agree with him. Everything around us is becoming smaller, more powerful, stronger, and more convenient. You can barely make it through a series of television commercials without seeing a product that is New and Improved

Last summer I declared to myself, “I am a writer.” I had ambition, enthusiasm, and dreams of success. I also had no idea what I was doing! The only way I would truly see myself as a writer was to believe it, versus believing it when I saw it. When I created this blog, I took a step toward supporting my declaration. I didn’t know where my steps would take me. Along my journey, I learned alot. I read 

No pain. No Gain. The idea here is that in order to become healthy we must first experience discomfort. “Experts” tell us we need to perform a physical exercise past the point of exhaustion and failure and experience pain (broken down and slightly damaged muscle). Once our workout is over, we should replenish our bodies with proper nutrition and hydration to help our muscles recover and rebuild. They will

After getting laid off from a good-paying job I wallowed in a “woe-is-me” pit of despair for 3 months. I was 30-years old and trapped by the seduction of a materialistic lifestyle. I was lost! I made a decision. I stepped out of my comfort zone, which had become very uncomfortable. I took a risk and took action.   I packed my bags and moved to Florida with a goal of becoming an animal trainer. I had

Lately, I’ve been learning a lot about grace. The dictionary has many different meanings for this word. I won’t bore you with academics. Rather, I will give you my definition, by examples. Grace gives you puzzle pieces, one by one. You won’t know you are receiving them. You won’t know what they are. It will tell you, “Go to the woods.” You won’t know why. In a heap, you will

In a few days, I will take a trip to Wisconsin, a place I’ve never been. My hope is that I will find and rescue BaileighJo, a 1-year old Samoyed. She has been missing for over a month and has endured a blizzard and near zero temperatures. And, I am terrified! I am not afraid of flying. Piece of cake.  I do not know the dog’s owners but I will stay in their home. That doesn’t scare me. I am not afraid of looking

A man approached my empty roulette table with a dejected, whole-body expression. He came from another table across the floor. I’d seen this scene a thousand times before. Guy loses his shirt on one table that’s “gone cold.” He thinks he will “get it all back” on a different table. Men, women, seniors, young adults, rich, middle-class, and the poor. It makes no difference. Gambling

In June of this year, I held a text message conversation with a 587-year old magical Christmas elf named Bernard. Bernard, in case you did not know, is Santa’s Lead Toy Builder. Hermie and all those other toy-building elves we see on Rudolph are not real. Bernard is very real and looks like an 11-year old girl. Bernard also lives in a castle. It just happens to be the castle I helped build 4 years ago as part o

 Hold on to love. Let go of hatred. Love will comfort. Hatred hurts like a thorn.  I know. Hold on to hope. Let go of desperation. Hope will heal. Desperation will destroy. I know. Hold on to patience. Let go of intolerance. Patience will provide. Intolerance is human nature. I know. Hold on to forgiveness. Let go of anger. Forgiveness soothes a wounded heart. Anger steals your soul. I know. Hold on to your faith. Le

the range of emotions that are engulfing the town of Newtown, Connecticut. I am not a parent. I don’t know how difficult, yet how rewarding it is to raise a child. I will never know the grief of losing a child. I will never understand the rage, the anger, the desperation and the sorrow the parents feel for losing their young children. I will never understand! Before I learned about this tragic event, I was alre

You won’t read it in the newspaper. You won’t see it as a breaking story on the evening news. I will tell you now, Words Are Dying. And, at an alarming rate! Some words are being butchered in a gruesome murder by a lazy society. The “violence” began with the emergence of online services. Here are a few examples: Laugh out loud became: LOL Talk To You Later is now: TTYL Be Right Back is better

I struggled with making a decision, until I finally made it. I put three and one half years into writing my book, I’M IN. I liked my first draft. Others did not and gave me a devastating blow. I was told it was dry and boring; the details were only meaningful to me. It had no appeal. OUCH! I thought about giving up. I did give up. I couldn’t let go that easily. I spent countless hours contemplating the qu

Today is a day we celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. To some, this is merely a day off from work or school, a trip to Grandma’s house, having a turkey dinner in the middle of the afternoon, and watching football. It’s a break from a normal routine. For me, it means none of those things. Lately, I have been investing my thoughts and emotions and giving my time and effort to help strangers find their lo

No one ever taught me how to multi-task. I just kind of learned it. For instance, I can watch television, eat my dinner, talk with my wife, Cathy, and text message a friend all at the same time. The problem is, I am not fully enjoying any one of them. The other night, I was forced to become aware of what I was doing. I received a message that all the food at the shelter had been eaten. I was extremely excited! The ch

The clock couldn’t move fast enough. For hours, my brain instructed my body to carry out the task of dealing blackjack at a local casino; it was my job. Meanwhile, my emotions were screaming at me, “What are you doing here? Isn’t Shadow more important than this?” Yes, he most certainly is. But I have bills to pay and gas to put in the car. I need the money. Just leave me alone and let me finis

Catching a shadow is no easy task, especially when the shadow is not your own. It begins with a call for help. Someone reaching out to let you know, they have lost their shadow. “How did you lose it?  Where did you lose it? When was the last time you saw your shadow?” I mean, yeah, sometimes it goes out of sight, but it should always return. This particular shadow has been seen in the daylight, but never

The other night, I had an awkward motivation to watch Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech. I don’t know what prompted the idea, but I followed the “calling.” King abandoned his script and his agenda after Mahalia Jackson, a famous gospel singer, who was in the audience, shouted, “Tell them about the dream Martin.” Reverend King was visibly more comfortable without the safety

I realized this year, Charles M. Schulz teaches his audience a powerful lesson in his 1966 classic animated television special, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Maybe, that’s why it has been shown every year at Halloween for the past 46 years. It has withstood the test of society’s fickle nature and recent fascination towards reality TV. Oh, but this animated story is very real! The story is n

Everyday is an adventure. Everyday is a struggle to maintain balance, to keep from falling and failing. Somedays are better than others. The other day, for instance, I received an email from the creator of the TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. “What’s your cell phone number and when is the best time to call you?” I had sent him a pre-released copy of my book, I’M IN. I was immediately fl

I envy the flexibility of little kids. They can contort their young, growing bodies into pretzel shapes with ease. They move with fluidity and grace. Why? Because they practice. Exercise to them, is effortless. It’s never boring and it’s never repetitive. Yesterday, they swam in the neighbor’s pool. Today, they climbed trees. Tomorrow, they will play baseball in the street. They keep their bodies he

At just 8 months old, dogs do not have an awful lot of life experience. However, no matter their age, a dog has an amazing ability to teach us life lessons. If, we open our eyes, ears, and hearts to them and pay attention. I have never met Dax, an 8 month old, brindle-colored Boxer. However, his story has opened my eyes a little wider. Dax spent 10 days lost in the dense woods of our quiet little town. He had run fro

The following is an excerpt from my book I’M IN.  I am posting this because it was during this week, last year, that I spent 14 days helping to rebuild the city of Joplin, Missouri. It was an experience that will forever make me humble and thankful to be alive. This is an anniversary period that I will always cherish with mixed emotions. It broke my heart to hear the many stories of tragedy and to witness the e

I completed my first lap at the high school track when the gym class showed up. The students began running after receiving directions from a man in sweat pants, with a whistle, and a clip board (Boy, did he fit the stereotypical gym teacher description!) Some caught up to me and passed me with their $100 Nikes and their gifts of young, agile, and energetic bodies. It wasn’t difficult for them to pass a 43 year

I could understand how passersby may have thought he was a small bear, because he was cute like Winnie-The-Pooh. Uh oh, the neighbor’s dog got loose and is eating their trash in the front yard. Wait a minute, they don’t have a dog! And I’ve never seen anyone in the neighborhood walking that dog. I got a leash out of the back of my car and walked towards the dog. Took out my camera, well technically

When I was a kid playing Little League baseball, we kept score. Yes, that’s right, we actually kept a record of winners and losers. Sometimes my team won a nail-biter, 4-3. Sometimes, we got clobbered 11-0. And the results were posted in the newspaper! How’s that for humiliation? I didn’t like losing. But, at least I experienced the pain, the suffering. I wasn’t entitled to winning. I never go

When I was a kid playing Little League baseball, we kept score. Yes, that’s right, we actually kept a record of winners and losers. Sometimes my team won a nail-biter, 4-3. Sometimes, we got clobbered 11-0. And the results were posted in the newspaper! How’s that for humiliation? I didn’t like losing. But, at least I experienced the pain, the suffering. I wasn’t entitled to winning. I never go

I’m cruising home from work, traveling the same route like I do day after day, on auto pilot. I get to “The Hill” and my car begins to snort, hiccup, cough, wheeze and struggle to make it up the incline. Hmm, this is not good. I make it to the top and the Check Engine light pops on and glares at me. The temperature gauge is beyond “H” meaning my engine is about to burn up. Uh oh. This is

Okay, so who doesn’t like reading a good bumper sticker? They can bring a smile to your face when you are otherwise stuck in beach traffic, on the Interstate, in the middle of Summer, with no air conditioning. They are little strips of art on a mobile canvas. They provide split second moments of humor or escape.I also like trying to decipher vanity license plates. They are like puzzles you find in those magazin

…the more experiments you make the better.” I love this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. I have certainly followed his advice when it comes to my career choices. I guess I shouldn’t call them career choices as much as they have been jobs that I have had. I conducted roughly 10 different “experiments” working in different jobs and different locations in my career as an Animal Trainer. To m

I have no idea who came up with the phrase Someday is not a day of the week. I heard it for the first time yesterday and it made me think. Someday has been on my daily To-Do List, my Weekly Calendar, my Monthly goals, and my Yearly Resolutions for years! I’m going to eat more fruits and vegetables, I’m going to exercise more, I’m going to learn to ride horses… Someday. Just not today. I’

My computer would not keep an Internet connection, preventing me from accomplishing some very “important” tasks. While waiting for it to re-boot, I let our 5 sled dogs outside. They love the  crisp, fall-like, New England morning air. The humidity that felt like a suffocating blanket followed the rain and wind storm of the night before, and went out to sea. Thankfully! I looked out the window and saw my p

Nearly every day I am thrown into the center of the Colosseum floor and left to fight the hungry lions without a weapon or armor. Some times I win, but more often than not, I lose. And, I am given no time to heal between battles. The lions pounce on me like wounded prey. Many of my fellow gladiators are strong with experience and enjoy the battles. I do not! I am a casino dealer. Scratch that. I earn a weekly paychec

Anatole France, a French writer, once said, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” His words are definitely in my Top 3 list of all time favorite quotes. Today, it has an immense, and I mean immense impact on my thoughts. One year ago, Cathy and I watched our first “son” cross the Rainbow Bridge. Cancer had methodically and ruthlessly stole our beloved

I heard the poison ivy laughing at me as it teamed up with the neighboring pricker bushes to ambush the exposed skin of my legs. Cobwebs stuck to my face like cotton candy on a little child’s face. My t-shirt accepted the humidity extracted sweat from my pores like a bucket receives sap from a maple tree. My weary legs stumbled over the leaf-covered rocks and fallen limbs. I had to find my cat. He had been gone

Thunderstorm Today, as we feel the remnant effects of what used to be Hurricane Isaac, my animals remind me of what life is like for them. This picture was taken in April 2011 during a horrific thunderstorm. As I lay on our sofa, trying to take a nap on a blissfully lazy rainy afternoon, a crack of thunder from behind the neighbors house seemed to shake the whole house. I was immediately “greeted” by all

Yesterday, I saw a Facebook post from a high school friend who posted on a mutual friend’s wall. I learned the mutual friend’s husband has been struggling with Multiple Myeloma (Cancer) for 9 years. Throughout his battle, he has had multiple rounds of chemotherapy and 2 bone marrow transplants. The post I read was one of a triumphant milestone. Keith, his caretakers, and his visitors were finally able to

As Hurricane Isaac unleashes its wrath upon New Orleans, I am reminded of how often I forget to count my blessings. Last year at this time, most of the State of Connecticut was affected by Hurricane Irene. I was one of the many residents who griped and groaned without the luxuries of air conditioning and hot water. We didn’t have CL&P provided electricity for 8 days. But, thanks to a friend who let us borro

Ahhh, the glorious day off from work. I savored every sip of a Keurig brewed, day-off only cup of coffee while making  my To-Do list for the day. I was ready to get some “stuff” done! Cathy asked me, “Are you going to Animal Control today?” Shoot, I almost forgot. That’s not on my list.  “Yes, I will go  soon.” Cathy and I learned of a 12 week old Samoyed puppy who had been t

One day, in the Fall of 2010, I perused through the “How to Publish Your Book” section of the local Borders. I saw a makeshift brochure Scotch taped to the shelves. A Writing Workshop meets here every other Wednesday at 7 P.M. Well, whatya know. That is precisely what I am looking for. After attending a few meetings, I was invited to read a sample of my work. I chose the first two pages of my “compl

My friend Lucas tells me, “C’mon Peter! You gotta try it. It’s easy. But, don’t hurt yoursel!” “Well wait a minute. If it’s so easy, how would I hurt myself?” Ohh, the agony of slipping off and having a pedal slam into your shin. Yeah, that hurts! Or, the embarrassment of watching someone 20+ years my junior zipping around on a 6 foot high unicycle, like a hot knife thr

I didn’t know I had a Voice until 2010. (That story requires a different post.) I’m not talking about the sounds that come from my mouth when I speak. I’m not talking about my vocabulary or my choice of words. Being a New Englander, I call those dangerous circles of merging traffic a Rotary. My wife, being raised in Virginia, calls them Traffic Circles. That’s not what I mean. Voice is our dialect, vocabulary, pace,

This is a picture of a new friend I made, Nutmeg. She is a 14 year old Tennessee Walker. As an animal trainer, I have worked with Dolphins, Sea Lions, and Beluga Whales. I guess I should also mention my 3 month “experiment” in working with Kangaroos. Yes, I said Kangaroos. Oh yeah, I am a “retired” dog trainer too. However, I had always been fascinated by horses but never had an opportunity to

This picture was taken by my friend Jacqueline. She is a very talented artist, although she hasn’t realized that yet. This image is pure; it was not manipulated with PhotoShop or anything like that. Some of you may know that I have this “little” project I am working on – writing a book. The book is about how my experience as a Volunteer Coordinator for an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition build h

A Chinese proverb states “…an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but will never break…” This proverb is commonly referenced for two lovers that were destined to meet. However, it also implies that we are attached to everyone we meet, by the red thread of fate. Today, I experienced this pheno

We have all heard the quote  that goes something like “…if a window of opportunity closes, then another window will open…” I’ve recently put myself on a life path of new adventures and opportunities. I searched for a new window of opportunity. Suprisingly, I found exactly what I was looking for. I peeked inside and initially liked what I saw. Much to my surprise, the window opened slight

I love the above quote from Thoreau! In his book Walden, he explained “I went to the woods…to learn what it had to teach…” This picture I took of Blue and his little kitty friend (who has many, many names) exemplifies Thoreau’s quote. Blue is an 11-year old Golden Retriever who has recently gone blind but yet he still “sees” very well. He has learned to overcome the hardship

As  a novice writer I am still searching for my voice, a writing style that is genuinely “me.” I am walking on a path of self-discovery and searching for clarity. I am not and never have been a prolific reader. However, I am inspired by the Transcendalist writers, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. So, taking a trip to Concord, MA yesterday was like visiting hallowed grounds. I walked through th