It was brought to my attention that in my recent blog about agility, I mentioned the small hatchback which was crammed full of my agility equipment. My good friend Chris feels that I have not done justice to the legend which was the "Vibe." I believe he is right, and will therefor dedicate an entire post to sharing with you the history and adventures of this little car. However, before I do that, I must pay tribute to a couple of friends who were also part of that story, as well as my agility history. These friends should also have made a cameo in my blog entitled "The Rarity of Awesomeness," as they too posses that rare and wonderful quality.
I met Chris and Carol at the first agility trial I attended with Kaylee, circa September 2003, when I was new to trialing and traveling and all of the adventures that go with it. We were competing in Orlando, inside a building at the fairgrounds, which was crowded but popular due to its air conditioning. Although running on mats is not every one's ideal surface, the appeal of air conditioning is especially strong when you live in Florida. Summer here tends to extend from March or April until late October, or even November at times.
We happened to set up next to one another in the crating area and began talking. They were very friendly, and I soon found out that they were also members of our local agility club in spite of living nearly an hour away on Amelia Island. After that, we ran into each other at other local trials, and began talking and crating next to each other more frequently. At that time, Carol was running a Jack Russell terrier who was also in the same height class as Kaylee. The pair had once lived in Kansas and regaled me with stories of "Jack Russell trials" which were very prevalent in that area and involved such activities as "go to ground,"" Jack Russell racing," as well as agility. These trials sounded like tremendous fun, and I often think she wishes she could go back to Jacks as well as those activities. In spite of this, Carol decided to make the switch to Shelties, and purchased a relative of the famous Neil, whom she named Kansas in honor of their past home.
I remember meeting the young Kansas as a puppy during a trial in Daytona, and have seen her go from rambunctious puppyhood, to the lovely little lady she has grown up to be. Sadly, during that time, life took me away from agility, and I basically "dropped off the radar." I was a rotten person, and too wrapped up in my own drama to realize that I would be missed, and that perhaps I should let Chris and Carol know that I was still alive. I am sorry that I was not grown up enough to do that, but in my experience, people came and went and that was just the way of things. I had learned never to really get attached to people, and that often people would let you down. In this case, I was the one doing the letting down.
At any rate, I reappeared a couple of years later to a local trial, and was taken aback by the warm reception I received, particularly from Chris and Carol. I was both embraced and admonished for my disappearing act, and immediately welcomed back as a friend. I remain thankful that I wasn't simply written off, and given the cold shoulder I might have deserved upon my return.
Since then, I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of my friendship with this pair. If life gave you a choice in who would be your parents, I would certainly have chosen them. Carol values my opinion in dog training, and even invited me along when she ventured to pick up her newest challenge, a border-collie-look-a-like, who is actually a bi-black sheltie named Wicked. Again, I have watched him grow from a fuzzy little ball of fluff, to the sleek, handsome, fast little devil that he is. I am also excited to watch them grow as a team, since she is beginning his agility training. Chris is the devoted chauffeur of the pair, and provided he has a book or two to read, never fails to come along to every practice, training opportunity, and trial that Carol chooses to attend. His devotion to her, and their relationship with each other, is a tribute to what every relationship should be. I can only hope that Buster and I will remain such good friends for as long a time as they have. They have a great balance, wherein Carol knows how things should be done, and Chris provides the comic relief ;) I think Buster and I have a similar dynamic.
Our weekend practices have become the highlight of my week, as I not only get to play with my dogs, but get to visit with them as well. They have pleasantly surprised me with birthday and Christmas gifts, in addition to the out-of-the-blue homemade tug toys Carol presented me this morning (carefully made with a Xander complimenting black and white pattern). They have listened with interest to all my various pursuits, genuinely cared about me and offered advice at my lowest lows, and rejoiced with me at all my triumphs. Chris has provided video services when Buster was not present, and Carol doesn't get mad when I tell her to give Wicked more treats while he is learning the teeter. I look forward to sharing the day with them at trials, and they help remind me that agility is more than just the titles you earn or the courses you run, it is the friends you can make along the way.
I hope they know how much I love them both. And that I promise to never disappear again.
No comments:
Post a Comment