Relationship Reflection

Relationships: the glue that holds people together. It can be on a personal level, or a professional one. Relationships can be very in depth and span the course of years. There are also relationships that just begin to scratch the surface and only around for a moment in time. Quality characteristics in any relationship include both depth and sincerity. I believe it is important to a few good, solid and rewarding relationships rather than focusing on too many people, who slip in and out of your life as and when they please. I also think that our relationships don’t have to be with just other humans. The relationships that we have with our animals as well as technology also play a role in our lives today. Today we are seeing more and more people who view their pets as children. I just recently read an article for a new movie called “Her”. This explores the relationship between a man and his computer operating system (Phone?). While this concept may seem new to many people it is not. There was another movie made on the same kind of premise, people taking relationships to others besides humans. This movie was called “Lars and the Real Girl” This movie showed a man who created a relationship with his (sex) doll. He truly believed that she was real. If you haven’t seen this movie I HIGHLY suggest it. It shows not just his relationship with her, but also how this “strange” relationship he had with her effected all of the people around him (the whole town).

There are several people in my life to which I would not be where I am today. The first and foremost would be my parents. My mom Cathy is the cement that keeps our crazy family together. She has been my rock during hard times and through her strength I have been able to succeed even when I thought I wouldn’t. She loves me with a fierce passion and had a determination to raise me to be the best I could be! She was there when my dad and I couldn’t even be in the same room after my TBI. She was the buffer on both ends. She selflessly gave of herself to keep our family together during some of our darkest times, and because our beacon of light and hope. Today my mom is my best friend and confident. My father Brian was my best friend growing up. We did everything together, even if it was just jumping into the care a driving around the block to the post office. Those were our adventures. We took as many as could. We were like Mutt and Jeff, never apart. Our relationship got strained when I had my TBI, because my dad had a hard time coming to terms that I could possibly not be his little girl anymore. He felt that he was a fault that he couldn’t get to me in time, and that stress caused a fracture to form. Over time it has healed and we are again just as close as ever.
  Dad and Mom!

Then there is my loving and supportive husband Andy. From the moment I met him I knew that he was the one. We have been through so many ups and downs together but somehow always managed to come out better people than when we went in. He was the one person that I could turn to when all heck would break loose in my house after my head injury. He stuck around during some of the darkest times of my life, and he was the one holding the flashlight meeting me in the middle. This relationship has had the most profound effect on me. My parents are family and therefore they have to love me, or at least tollorate me. Andy didn’t have to stick around and yet here we are today. When we met I was a silly 17 year old girl who didn’t know much about life or the world. Today I am 27 years old and I would like to think that I know who I am and what I stand for. It is because of these amazing people that I have had in my life to help me.
  Andy and I.
    
The last relationship that I want to talk about is the one I have with my dogs. Yes, I am the crazy lady who thinks that my dogs are my children. I have three pups and they all have a special place in my heart. All of my dogs are rescues from down south, where before I got them, they lived terrible lives that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy. That being said, my first dog that I rescued was Chad. Out of all three Chad holds a very special place in my heart. When I went away to college and left everything behind, I adopted a little puppy to keep me company. Little did I know that this little dog would be the one who saved me. As I talked about before I went through some dark times. Chad was there when no one else was, late at night when I would cry myself to sleep because of the depression, and he would be there during my mood swings trusting me that I would never hurt him. His unconditional love that he gave to me helped me to overcome my TBI and the struggles that came along with that. From the moment I met him we have been inseparable and I am a better person because he is in my life. He also took the pain from my family during times of loss, and offered a shoulder to cry on, a silent guard, and constant companion. He helped my mother overcome the loss of her parents by just being there. My mom is NOT an animal person and never allowed me to have pets. Yet this pup somehow managed to worm his way into not just her heart but her soul. And has had similar effects on other members of our family. I like to think he is not just a dog, but a guardian angel sent to help me and my family when we need him most.
            
         Cosmo, Sophie, Chad                                             Me and my special boy!