Never Give Up

With hail pelting down outside, a fledgling business operating inside, and an exuberant German Shepherd who insists on having fun, life feels a little quixotic.  Like we are tilting at windmills, or pursuing unreachable goals.

The hail successfully decimated my beautiful begonias but left the thigh high weeds waving sassily in the wind.  I only have one pot of begonias.  It's rather stately and sits near the front door.  Every time I come and go it gives me a glimmer of hope of the way things will look some day when all the landscaping is done.  I was feeling quite smug earlier this week because it was blooming happily and the deer have left it alone.  But after Thursday's storm it looks a little sad.  The good news is that the plants haven't quite given up, I have it on good authority that if I am patient they will recover.  The hanging strawberry plant is bravely producing in the shelter of the covered deck.  Greg is out in the bobcat again this morning, trying to move the hillside.  I am determined to have a front deck and gently sloping or terraced hill, and he is most agreeable in helping me pursue that goal. Never give up!

It has been a year since Teneo Consulting Inc was launched.  What a year.  Working at the table in the trailer then making the move into the house.  What a privilege to be able to do what I love, and to make a living at it.  So here we go into year two with the addition of business coaching on the menu of services, and a Strategic Coaching certificate underway through Tony Robbin's organization.  You didn't think I could go for a whole two years without learning something new did you?  Added a couple of new clients and always looking for more.  If you know any small to medium sized businesses that want some coaching or consulting spread the word.  The business name Teneo comes from the latin root for tenacious, which a year later still seems quite apropos.

Kanti keeps us on our toes and laughing.  The toilet paper was endangered this week, in fact it was shredded.  Silently and stealthily, she pulled it from the holder and trailed it through the living room before I was aware.  She also took a shine to the two cusions on the couch.  Using some of the same moves from the towel rodeo she developed the pillow pounce.  There is lots of shaking before she drops the pillow and pounces on it.  This elicits stern reprimands from Greg, of "bad dog" after which he turns to me puts his hand over this mouth and laughs.  Good grief, do you think those German Shepherd ears don't hear that?  But most of the time, she tries quite hard in her puppyish way to be obedient and good.   You can see that she is half in her bucket.  I'm not sure if she's thumbing her doggy snout at us when she sits half in, or if she's really trying to be good and that's as good as she can be at that moment.  But anyway, you know we love her and we'll never give up loving her.

Like old Churchill, we will never, never, never give up.  One day the landscaping will be done, Teneo will have grown in ways I can't imagine, and Kanti will be fully trained and obedient - not just halfway!