Alright, it’s been a month since I returned with Nadine to real life, and I’ve had some people worried that I might have been led astray by the darling pooch. Rest assured that I am not in a ditch some where in the hinterlands. Nadine and I are getting used to this guide dog thing, but it sure is a lot of work.
My family loves her, and my pug Lucy is still debating. There are times she gets in a dither, thinking Nadine is acting up. But, for the most part, the transition is pretty smooth.
I’ve gone on one Time Out For Women trip to Fresno, and Nadine did great. Of course, the audience of 1800 women thought Nadine was going to walk me off the front of the stage. There was a collective gasp, and women started yelling, “To the left! Go to the left!” Wow, that was fun. She would’ve done fine and gotten me down the stairs, but the producer and John Bytheway (How do you like the name dropping?) ran up and helped me down the stairs. It’s always an adventure. The thousands of women wanted to pet her, so that will be a problem. I’m having a friend make a sign for me to put on her harness, so those who are literate, will avoid the temptation. Grin.
Church has been quite the adventure also. Nadine sleeps for most of it, so she fits in nicely. The children all get excited and run up to her saying, “Goggie!” The Young Men aren’t much better. I had one lady totally disgusted that I had my dog at church, but she’ll get over it.
Isn’t it interesting where life takes us? Whether or not we have a Nadine, we certainly get to deal with things that we never wanted to deal with. But, I am grateful for the good that has come out of my challenges. At least I get a few funny stories and laughs out of it all. And just to clear the air of any confusion, Nadine doesn’t know sign language. Grin.
