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Lately my days and energy have been filled with dog training. 

When we adopted Sunny a few weeks ago it became immediately apparent that she had never been leash trained, never been trained any manners at all other than housetraining.  And she is a strong 3 year old half pit bull/half basset hound. Her cheerful extroverted personality notwithstanding I initially wondered if I was up to the challenge.  But, here we are 3 weeks later and she walks by my side nicely on a loose leash with minimal corrections.  And she passed by a large dog barking at her, 2 squirrels and several people with only a glance on our 2 mile walk today.  Also today, we started teaching her that people who ring the doorbell are friendly.  I expect she'll pick this up quickly too.  

I was telling her how pleased I was with her progress a bit ago.  I told her that she was really really smart and could learn things lickitysplit and I just know that with lots of good practice those head smarts will become bone deep and just become part of who she is naturally.

As it is with us.  Whether it be the art of painting or the art of us.... we need not only the knowledge, but the practice as well.

When we start out painting it takes everything we have to do the drawings right, mix the colors to match the colors we see and want to replicate, apply them in a " why yes, I just breathed this onto the canvas" manner.  My primary art teacher told me that it takes an artist 10 years to learn all this and then...only then...could they expect to express their voice in their painting.  I was ok with that.  I have a lot of patience and I love to paint.  I love that my voice continues to evolve and become more expressive as the years pass.  I become more technically proficient.  I become more interesting as a person.  I become wiser as a person.   

Sometimes..... my paintings bomb. 

Sometimes..... I'm a jackass. 

So, then I know what NOT to do. 

It is possible to always wish you could do better and still really love what you do.  I don't put a painting out there unless I love it.  But I am always looking forward to loving the next one even more.

My dog and I are still works in progress, but I still really love her.  And, myself as well.

It seems to me that perhaps we might apply all this good practice, this good consistent work towards a better end to ourselves as well as our work.  Leash training on a metaphysical level.  Are there treats involved?  There are when our efforts to be kinder, wiser, and more accepting are met with a warm reception.  Sometimes I have tried to be friendly to folks and had it all backfire, or fall flat, or be misunderstood.  I know that folks have given me the best they had and I wasn't receptive.  It happens.  That's what practice is all about.  So the easy walk by your best friend's side becomes second nature.  The brushes stroke on a thick swathe of paint in just the right color, just the right place with the first effort.  Saying the kind word, the encouraging word, being open and supportive comes from you without forethought.

I am by nature a task oriented kind of person.  Once I was in a get-to-know-each-other setting and the game set before us was to answer a bunch of light hearted questions ("Do you sing in the shower?"  I hum, and it is always the same song.).  The person who finished first won a mug. Everyone was enjoying the game and getting to know each other.  I ploughed through those questions as on a quest.  Won the mug.  May have missed the point of the exercise.  I mention this because it is simply to share that I enjoy working towards a goal.  I enjoy learning, especially when it is not easy but steady progress can be seen.

So it is with art, so it is with life.  So it is with a shelter dog.

I hope you have a rollicking good time this holiday season no matter how you may interpret that to best suit you and yours.

Stay safe and well my friends,

Jill Peckelun