There's something miraculous about the way a small act of kindness can send waves of change throughout our lives. Jet Baeza (Sept 2015 - April 2024) Music by DayFox on Pixaby.
Follow me on Instagram! @Donavon.Baeza
There's something miraculous about the way a small act of kindness can send waves of change throughout our lives. Jet Baeza (Sept 2015 - April 2024) Music by DayFox on Pixaby.
Follow me on Instagram! @Donavon.Baeza
Why is it so hard or so bad to ask for help? Just so that, if you are successful in getting over the hurdles on your own, to only celebrate alone or to have softened the blow of failure by reminding yourself you didn't quote unquote give in and call on anyone? No thanks, I'd rather have someone I can lean on, whether I need to or not, when I meet failure and disappointment, or someone to celebrate with when I do overcome. Hey guys, welcome back to Donations. It's a beautiful day here and life has been a whirlwind lately. I hope it's been all good things for you and I hope you're keeping busy and experiencing some of the best things life has to offer adventure, emotion, growth, joy and everything in between.
Speaker 1:Jet hasn't been feeling good. He hasn't been showing any interest in food and he's definitely lost some weight because of it, and he hasn't been able to get comfortable when he lays down and he's been a little hunched over. So I know he's in pain and it's things like this giant hurdles in life and the unexpected parts that make you see the world with your blinders on. Everything else just kind of stops moving and stops existing until you're past it. Whenever you come across hurdles like these in your life may not be a dog for you, but whatever it is, when you face those hurdles it can very much feel like tunnel vision. And let me be the one to tell you there's nothing like being in and out of multiple vets office, unable to figure out what's going on, to really wear you down physically and emotionally, making the week go by in a flash. I normally would have avoided all that going in and out of multiple vet's offices and would have gone straight to my trusty clinic and trusty vet slash friend. But their availability wasn't going to be open for another week and I was starting to get emotional and stressed out about my boy and was desperate to find him some kind of relief.
Speaker 1:And normally it's hard for me to ask for help and that's not a pride thing. I know that and I know for some people that it can be, but for me it's more of an I don't want to be a bother kind of thing. I mean being that the vet I usually go to is, like I mentioned, a friend and that other close friends used to work as vet technicians. You'd think that my first instinct would be to reach out to one of them, but I'd hate for them or anyone to think that I was someone who was only present when I needed something they could help me with. So it crossed my mind but I thought if I could get him feeling better without hassling or bothering anyone, then I'd rather try that first.
Speaker 1:I just don't like feeling like a monkey on anyone's back and I know I would hope that the friends that needed my help never felt that way. So I know that with my truest of friends that I shouldn't feel that way either. But you know trauma It'll make you feel like you're all alone in the world. I know hyper-independence is sort of celebrated the way strength and resilience are at least from what I've seen but it can get really unhealthy and can isolate us from our support networks. Not reaching out in my time of need, when I had no more resources to go on alone, only limited my ability to overcome adversity and the kind of enrichment that we're all constantly seeking in this life.
Speaker 1:Not only have I seen people bend over backwards and sometimes break all for the sake of not asking for help, and even though that wasn't the case for me this time around, I've done that before too with other situations, and looking at it from this new vantage point, I have to ask for what? Why is it so hard or so bad to ask for help, just so that, if you are successful in getting over the hurdles on your own, to only celebrate alone or to have softened the blow of failure by reminding yourself you didn't quote unquote give in and call on anyone? No thanks, I'd rather have someone I can lean on, whether I need to or not, when I meet failure and disappointment, or someone to celebrate with when I do overcome. And so, after having no luck and no clear answer as to what Jet was going through, I had to remind myself of how I've needed help in the past and didn't ask for it, and the biggest lessons I've learned because of that, and I had to put all that aside and reached out to my friend. Learned because of that, and I had to put all that aside and reached out to my friend.
Speaker 1:I'm telling you the amount of relief I instantly felt when I was asked for any kind of notes or labs or records or whatever I could get my hands on so that she could review them and give me some feedback about what Jet might be going through, and that, after reviewing them, she reached out to her receptionist, who was more than willing to move some things in her schedule around to get Jet in the next day. It was incredible Within minutes she had already painted a clear picture of what we were up against, and while I'm extremely thankful for her expertise, I'm even more grateful that she simply took time in her day to help me. I mean, this huge weight was literally lifted off of me, and only then did I realize how big of a breath I had been holding in during all of this. Like I'm not even exaggerating, it was this huge sigh, and because of that, all I wanted to do was drive in the finally beautiful spring afternoon with the windows down, with my favorite feel good kind of music playing and the perfect ice coffee chilling in my cup holder. And so, after dropping jet off at the vet's office, that is exactly what I did.
Speaker 1:I went for that drive and I listened to that music and I enjoyed that coffee and I let my shoulders relax, if for just a second. And I let my shoulders relax if for just a second, and like that's the simple shit, that's the essence of being present and totally okay with all that you have and don't have and all that life is and isn't. I can imagine how much all of this maybe still felt like business to my friend the vet kind of like something she does on a daily basis, reviewing some notes on a paper, and the receptionist too, who was asked to manipulate the schedule a little bit. But how them being willing to do those things felt like these giant gestures to me and for me. And how grateful and humbled I felt on that drive in that beautiful spring afternoon knowing we were going to get some kind of answers.
Speaker 1:I know a dog being sick might not be the end of the world to some people or like that big of an issue, but when it's someone or something you deeply care about, I know, you know how heavy it can feel when things aren't in order or shape that you are used to them being in and their fate or whatever happens next feels like it's just all in the air and there's no clear resolution to bringing all that back down to safety and how someone simply being willing to help can make all the difference, so much so that you start to breathe easy again and I'm so grateful for the kind of day I was able to have because of what they did for me it was such a normal day, but it felt like I was finally able to breathe, if just for a minute, before ultimately and unfortunately being faced with having to make one of the toughest decisions of my life and having to say goodbye to my jet. And I wonder how many times we're presented with the opportunity to lend a hand or simply a smile or a kind gesture to help someone in need, to change the trajectory of their week or day, to help lift the weight they're having trouble carrying. You already know, doing those kinds of things come right back to you when you're in need, and most of those things or gestures that we can provide to others in a time of need hardly come with any expense to us, right? But there's this mentality in the world that giving something to someone, whether big or small, does nothing but take away from what we have.
Speaker 1:I 100% disagree with that.
Speaker 1:When we're able and willing, acts of kindness open us up to empathy and gratitude and a deep, deep appreciation for the goodness in our lives.
Speaker 1:And all that just jumbled up into this giant lump in my throat and I may or may not have had tears in my eyes on that afternoon drive because of what they did for me, and part of me may have tried to hide it to not look weak, but the other part of me didn't care, because I know I showed up for my inner child in a way that he really needed when I put all that hyper-independence aside and took another big swing at breaking an unhealthy cycle. But also my friend and her receptionist really showed up for me too and taught me something really valuable and just how big of a ripple effect holding out your hand can make. A wise man once told me there's beauty in the need, and so, whether that's you in it or someone else you happen to come across, I hope that you're choosing to play a part in making sure the ripples of doing good and helping out reach far and wide. Until the next one, be careful, thank you.