It’s Easter, and my sweet 16-year-old lab Trinity, (get it?), keeps kicking it.  But the other day I heard her barking incessantly.  And instantly I knew.  I ran to the garage.  There she was scared and frustrated barking.  She looked up at me with her sweet, deep, beautiful brown eyes as if to say, “There’s two stairs.  There’s no way in hell.  No more.  Help me, Mommy!”  

Frantically I scoured the garage and found wooden planks, a cutting board, and my Christmas tree stand.  I know, I know, but when your baby is desperate, you get creative.  Ten minutes later, she had the perfect ramp, or so I thought.  I enticed her with a treat for her bravery to test it out.  It was still a little too steep.  She got halfway.  Stuck.  Bless her heart.  It’s wild how suddenly life gets too hard    I helped her back down and knew I had to figure this out Immediately.  She couldn’t live in the garage.  So, I lessened the pitch, added more boards, played around with it a few times, and as you can see from the video, she can once again, sweet ole girl, can get inside.  

But this got me thinking.  We all need ramps.  Sometimes the old way of doing things suddenly, just doesn’t work.  Maybe we are tired, sick, broke, aging, hurt, confused, or scared, but, sometimes we just need help.

What do you do in these moments?

Do you give up? Or cry?  Pretend everything is okay and just stay stuck in the garage, never going out?

Or do you do what sweet ole Trinity did?  Do you call out for help, trusting that it will come?

I learned a lot from my dog today.  I need to be more like her.  I tend to dig in and keep trying to do it again and again but never seem to get out of the garage.  Or worse, I pretend like its ok and I’m ok and I don’t need any help.  But today, I am learning.  It’s hard as life changes and needs change, whatever the age or the transition.  It can be scary to be soft. I know it’s up to me to reach out.  I have a handyman.  But sometimes the help I need is for my mind or my heart and not a tool that can be found in a handyman’s toolbox.  So, I thank you.  Thank you for being part of my ramp.

Where do you need one?  Where do you need some help?  Are you willing to risk it and reach out?

bark