By Colleen Kettenhofen
This is a true story about what happens when we look for the lesson in
every situation. After all, business, career and personal success is
about attitude and successfully managing change as well.
It was Easter, March 31st, 2002, and I was on a hiking vacation
with my husband in a California desert near where we lived. Our baby
daughter, Caroline, was supposed to have been born on this date, but
there were complications with the pregnancy and we lost her five months
earlier, Oct. 30th. Three weeks later, we had put my 18½-year-old cat,
"Baby," to sleep. Needless to say, we needed a vacation.
It was now late October 2002, and we were living in Atlanta,
Georgia. We’d been contemplating adopting a dog, yet it didn’t seem
right with our travel schedules. My husband was an airline pilot, and I
was an international speaker. Still, I walked into an animal shelter
having convinced myself I would "just look." In the shelter was a calm,
sweet-faced puppy, eight or nine weeks old, who caught my attention.
Sensing our chemistry and trust, I did what you’re never supposed to do:
I put my hand into her cage. While looking up at me with her big brown
eyes, she licked my hand over and over. This innocent puppy was also
highly intelligent and obviously knew how to sell herself. After many
minutes, I pulled away and forced myself to walk towards the door.
Already in love with her, I turned around, and there she was...still
looking at me with those eyes.
A new puppy sounded wonderful except that it didn't seem to fit
into the lifestyle of an airline pilot and international speaker. And my
husband kept telling me how much attention puppies require. Still, my
gut feeling was that it was fate that we were supposed to have her. I
couldn’t stop thinking about her. I was going back to the Peachtree City
animal shelter later the next morning to visit. The next day at a
garage sale, two smiling women walked up to me holding a puppy. As I
looked more closely, I realized this was the puppy. The same one I’d
been thinking of adopting. They placed her in my arms and said, "Would
you like to adopt her? She’s from the Peachtree City animal shelter. We
can’t have any more pets, but she had only two hours to live. And we’ve
named her Joy because she’s already brought such joy to our lives." Two
hours to live.
She fit perfectly in my arms as she gazed up at me with those
puppy dog eyes. There was an inexplicable connection and incredible
bond. I wanted to talk to my husband first even though I had a feeling
he’d say yes this time. They even offered to pet sit her for free.
Later that day, lunching with a friend, she said, "My gosh,
Colleen, it’s fate. You’re supposed to have that puppy! Let’s go see her
tonight." We drove to their home and as we pulled in the driveway, my
friend shrieked, "Oh Colleen, it’s fate, it’s fate!" I had no idea what
she was talking about. She pointed to the car in front of us in the
driveway, and in huge letters was a bumper sticker that simply read,
"FATE." How many more "signs" did I need?! The family explained to us
that night that their son had died unexpectedly a year earlier, that
this was his car, his bumper sticker, and that he’d always believed in
fate.
After playing with this happy puppy named Joy, I went home empty
handed that night. I needed to read some motivational literature, and
really think this over. After all, I wanted to make certain this puppy
would be with us forever. As I pulled out this little book with its
daily word message, I gasped. In big letters, the word of the day was JOY.
It was fate. The next day my husband and I brought our bundle of "Joy"
home. On Caroline’s anniversary, October 30th 2002, there I was with Joy
sitting in my lap riding in the car. And it was the only place she
would sit. She refused to be anywhere but my lap.
My husband and I are no longer together but still amicable. Joy
is a healthy 47 lbs, happily living in Portland, Oregon with her big cat
brother and me. Pacific Northwest scenery is gorgeous, there’s lots of
family history here, and many large fenced dog parks. My mother’s
cousins love to pet sit Joy since I still travel as a motivational
speaker and author. They have a spacious backyard and a wonderful dog of
their own.
Eventually, everything has a way of working out. Especially if
we will roll with the punches, trust our gut, and follow our fate. The
lesson here is that we often get what we need, not necessarily what we
think we want.
Colleen Kettenhofen is a Phoenix, Arizona-based motivational speaker,
trainer, and co-author of "The Masters of Success." Her areas of
expertise are leadership, managing people, life balance, difficult
people, and presentation skills. Visit her website at www.ColleenSpeaks.com or contact her at colleen@colleenspeaks.com.
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