A lesson from Della

Della is my dog, an 8-year old Hungarian Vizsla. She is smarter then most humans and in her youth she served as my dutiful running partner. She is retired from running except for small, slow runs when I am just coming back from a cold.

Della is starting to get a little white in the face and she is sleeping a lot more than she ever did in the past. Della is starting to hate the cold, she hesitates before going out in the cool mornings and winces when the morning air blows her ears back. She gets incredibly grumpy about food--demanding to eat when she is hungry, protective of her well earned treats--make no mistake, she is not interested in sharing. She is a horrible grump about sleep. If she is all curled up you can touch her but don't even try to move her or you will get the hairly lip and a growl. She is serious about her beauty rest.

Della and I have many life parallels. I noticed that I hesitate before going out on cold morning runs and I'm always slow getting in the pool on a cold morning. I long for my warm bed, down comforter, and flannel sheets. I also noticed that when I am grumpy it is either because I'm hungry or tired. I try to notice this before my grumpiness takes over but sometimes I act badly and then realize why. Self awareness is such a slow learning process.

I would add to my New Year's Resolutions that I vow to get as much sleep as I need this year. Too often I am cutting corners on sleep for work or my workouts. This year if I'm tired I will unashamedly go to bed at 8 pm. To many of my friends, this is absurd--for me this is a necessity. I get up at 4:30 every weekday (6:00 on Saturday, 7:00 on Sunday) and I do more exercise in one morning then most folks do in a week. Sleep is exactly what I need to recover and replenish my pleasant personality.

I thank Della for the lesson and for moving me to a place of comfort where I can unabashadly embrace my absurd schedule.