Fear Comes Knocking

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

It has been a few months since my inaugural post for this blog. It took that long to get thru the quicksand of fear that swallowed me whole. I had to come to terms with the scary thought that I would actually have to work for something that I wanted. Please don’t hate me for this next statement but I honestly never had to work for anything while I was growing up. Grades came easy, well at least once I hit high school. Sports came easy. Dancing came easy. Basically, life was easy. However, I realized that once something became difficult, I dropped it like a hot potato.

After posting my first blog entry, I sat at the computer, staring at what I had just written, and my jaw dropped all the way to China. I can’t believe that I just set a goal to receive an invitation to the Westminster KC dog show. What was I thinking? Who did I think I was? Scared no where near described the feeling that raced thru my body after making that declaration and it didn’t slow down until a few days ago. I had to come to terms with the notion of having to actually exert effort in going for my goal.

Let me stop for a second and make one more admission. I discovered another clue that I was going to have to work for my goal. The clue was Maverick. Maverick is my dog that will be the dog to actually receive the invitation to Westminster. So what do I mean that he was my clue? I realized that he is going to be my challenge. He is going to make me work for this goal every step of the way, the little devil! Well, at least it won’t be a boring journey!

So now what? What is it that I must do to achieve my goal of getting an invitation with Maverick to Westminster? Good question. I suppose I need to create some kind of action plan but where do I start? To quote an American classic, Maria from the Sound of Music, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”

Tune in next time to find out just what that beginning will be.

The First Step

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Confucius

My journey began twenty-six years ago when my parents decided to enter the world of purebred dogs and dog shows. Actually, it was more my Mom’s idea. I think that she approached my Dad with her soon to be patented line, “How much do you love me?” According to her, I needed a challenge in my life since I excelled at every other activity. I was ten years old so I could show our new dog in both Junior Showmanship and in the Conformation ring. Don’t worry, I will explain all of these crazy dog show terms in good time. For those of you who like to read the last page of a mystery novel, you can find out everything you wanted to know and more at www.akc.org or you can watch the 2000 “documentary” Best in Show.

In the beginning, I did dream of going to Westminster. It was the dog show in the United States and being the overachiever that I am, I wanted to be there. Little did I know what that would involve? I couldn't just say, “Mom, I want to go to Westminster.” I had to actually do the work. Deathly afraid of doing something that required work, I went along showing dogs and living life, neatly tucking that dream in for a Rip Van Winkle night.

However, all dreams find a way back to the sunlight and such is the case with my quest for an invitation to Westminster. Most successful people achieve their goals with the help of others. That is why I am here in the blogosphere. I need your help. If I commit to sharing the steps along my journey with you, then I must actually do the steps. If I actually do the steps, then I will have a fighting chance to achieve my goal. I thank you in advance for sharing this adventure with me. It will be interesting, that I can promise! Now, I invite you to visit the Westminster Kennel Club. Don’t worry; you won’t need to leave your home. Just hop over to www.westminsterkennelclub.org.

See you on the road to Westminster!