I was saddened by the news that Andy Griffith died yesterday
at the age of 86. Sure, he was an actor,
but he created the memorable character of Sheriff Andy Taylor. Although his character was a simple, sheriff
of the North Carolina small town, Mayberry, he was a great, calm leader. Many Facebook tributes, newscasts, and media
have spoken of Andy Griffith’s legacy – even President O’Bama had
something to say of Andy’s death. Ron
Howard, who played Opie Taylor, the son of Griffith’s iconic sheriff tweeted, "His pursuit of excellence and the joy he
took in creating served generations & shaped my life. I'm forever grateful." This
last quote really resounded with me as I get ready to travel with Jefferson for
a three day trial just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.
As for the first part of Ron Howard’s quote, we (team
J-Dawg) have been in pursuit (hot pursuit - the temps are crazy!) of excellence in our agility
practices this past month. I have worked
very hard on reinforcing Jefferson’s nailing fast, weave pole entries, hitting his running dogwalk contacts and going to a
fast down on the table. I have brought
in some unexpected chicken treats to up the ante. But, knowing that during a trial atmosphere I
cannot treat in the ring, I have relied more on my verbal praise of Jefferson’s
performance. This has worked extremely
well as he really feeds off of my energy.
So, I am learning to verbally praise him as he runs the courses or
exercises we have had in our classes. Of
course, I am still a work in progress and need to push myself to consistently
keep my energy up and use verbal praise more during our runs.
Another part of the quote about taking joy in creating
really struck a chord with me. Agility
is fun and it should be joyful while we work with our teammate. To my team’s detriment, I had forgotten the “joy
in creating” a unified team. Recently, one of
my agility friends unexpectedly lost her heart dog and reminded me that nothing
is better than having fun with your dog.
I intend to savor every run – for better or for worse – with Jefferson. During this weekend’s trial, we will have
fun running together as a team, even if we make up our own courses from time to
time! And we WILL eat a big, juicy steak one night too....
Finally, regarding the passing of iconic Andy Griffith, his
character, Sheriff Andy Taylor taught lessons of patience. He was always the calm, collected sheriff
when interacting with the likes of Floyd the barber, drunk Otis Campbell, goofy Gomer
and Goober Pyle, his pre-pubescent son Opie, but especially with his side-kick, blundering Deputy
Barney Fife. Regardless of what unanticipated event
transpired during the show, light-hearted Andy had unwavering faith that things
would resolve themselves. He showed a
kind spirit and patience to all those memorable characters who surrounded him
in Mayberry. This is the kind of patience I need to exhibit
in agility as Jefferson and I learn how to better work together as a team. Patience in my making mistakes in handling; patience
in Jefferson’s spunky unpredictability; and patience that we will be in synch
and have many great runs together as a team. There is no need to rush; rather, savor every moment as a training opportunity to learn how to be a better team.
So, on the eve of our heading up to Andy Griffith’s stomping
grounds in North Carolina, I am excited about us having our own little “Mayberry”
experience this weekend. Afterall, we did have a run-in with a copperhead snake last week and according to an old wives tale (and Anderson Cooper)...that is a sign of good luck!!!
Read about it here: http://www.andersoncooper.com/2012/07/02/15-signs-of-good-fortune/#10_encountering_a_snake
"I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it."
~ Thomas Jefferson
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