Tuesday, June 13, 2006


This is the anti-curmudgeon post.

Ya just gotta love a 3-legged dog. They don't sit around feeling sorry for themselves, licking their stump and feeling like less of a dog, just because they lost that leg. Dogs are the sultan species of getting on with life and living the shit out of it. God bless dogs for being such lovely and noble companions.

I read in a magazine a couple years ago about a woman who was skydiving and had a serious chute malfunction, leaving her plummeting to earth stinted only by less aerodynamic positioning of her body. The force of the impact fractured nearly every major bone in her body and stopped her heart. However, fortune was with her that day. She landed on an enormous fire ant mound in a field, and the thousands of simultaneous bites she received all over caused her body to produce even more adrenaline (like she wasn't already churning it out by the bucket!) and this surge of adrenaline re-started her heart. She made a nearly full recovery and was skydiving again within two years. I'm guessing she was a three-legged dog sort of person.


The ultimate anti-curmudgeonly music is any cd by Asleep At The Wheel. Western Swing is the canine of musical styling: loyal, dependable, rock-solid, and downright jolly. If you can listen to this music and not feel just a teeny bit buoyed, well, you probably don't like dogs either. If you don't like dogs, you need a change in your life, is all I'm saying, m'kay?

There's something to be said for climbing back on the horse that threw you, and riding it. Dogs work over-time showing us how to do that. Have a great day.

10 comments:

The Mistress said...

Asleep At The Wheel? You're preaching to the converted, hon.

Anonymous said...

I love dogs too. When I was young I heard a three legged dog called an 'arithmatic dog'. It would pick up three and carry one.....

phlegmfatale said...

mj - Yup - great music - love 'em!

john - wow - what a cute name for a doggie trouper! That must have been a really cool pet.

Dick said...

"She made a nearly full recovery and was skydiving again within two years."

Some people refuse to learn from previous mistakes.
I've never had a chute spiral on me when jumping, and would probably shit my pants if it ever happened.
Just because I'm a pussy deep down.

Will said...

Great inspiring post ... wise words one when starts feeling sorry for themselves.

Barbara Bruederlin said...

I wonder how many fire ants gave their life that day... Just speculating, that's an amazing tale.
And Asleep at the Wheel - I haven't heard them in years. They're great!

phlegmfatale said...

dick - I suspect spiraling unstinted toward earth from a mile up could make a pussy of just about anyone.

will - yeah, dogs seem to get it right quite a bit.

barbara - I dunno how many fire ants died, but it wasn't nearly enough. The little bastards are evil.
Yeah, AATW is a fun bunch of people. Austin bands usually are.

David Amulet said...

You are so right -- when we find ourselves lacking in effort, it's worth a look at those who really MUST put forth the effort to get by. Then we'll understand what effort really is.

-- david

Becky said...

My dog, Kona, is pretty much as you described with his bad leg and not letting that stop him from moving about. As cheesy as this sounds, whenever I get annoyed, I see Kona so determined and it really puts things into perspective.

phlegmfatale said...

well stated, david. Nice to see you.

becky - Yeah, dogs are great. I'm besotted with mine.