Author Archives: Patrick Cole

About Patrick Cole

Husband, parent and writer. Sharing stories with a little humor and wisdom along the way.

High Coo – Oct 19 – Walking Dogs

Each Wednesday morning, I walk dogs at Stray Rescue STL in downtown St. Louis, MO. The facility is full and the staff appreciate any volunteer help they receive to provide the dogs exercise, fresh air and TLC while their individual “apartments” are being cleaned.

Here are the five dogs I walked last Wednesday:

The Supreme – a 5-year-old female Terrier mix.

Coco – a 7-year-old male Retriever/Labrador mix

Wendy – a 9-year-old female Shepherd mix

Each were a delight to spend time with and would be a wonderful companion dog for a “furever” family.

As I head into the facility this morning, I’m hopeful that one or more may have been adopted in the past week but I know the odds are not in their favor. As much as I’d like to bring them home, we have already adopted four animals and anymore would be too much at this time.

Fortunately, Stray Rescue STL is a no-kill facility so they will continue to receive food, shelter and daily exercise until, someday, a very lucky human will recognize the canine companion that waits for them.

Please consider adopting or fostering a dog from your local shelter.

Today’s haiku: Dog Walking

people come and go

but a dog prefers to stay

with you forever

High Coo – Oct 18 – Happy Birthday Peter Boyle

High Coo – Oct 17 – Black Poetry Day

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Gorman in 2021 at the inauguration of Joe Biden delivering “The Hill We Climb“

Since 1985, October 17 has been celebrated as Black Poetry Day “to honor all the talented African American poets, both past and present. If you’re a literature enthusiast, poet, or writer — no matter your race — you’ll absolutely love Black Poetry Day where you can celebrate black heritage and history. Black Poetry Day is celebrated in commemoration of the birth of the man popularly referred to as the father of African American literature, Jupiter Hammon, the first published black poet in the United States of America.” See https://nationaltoday.com/black-poetry-day/

Famous black poets include Langston Hughes, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou and more recently Amanda Gorman, pictured above. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Gorman

Today’s humble haiku: Black Poetry Day

different voices

reveal a loving spectrum

for all to adore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Hammon#/media/File:An_Evening_Thought_-*Jupiter_Hammon*-_1761.jpg

High Coo – Oct 16 – Global Cat Day

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October 16 is Global Cat Day. Formerly known as National Feral Cat Day, the founding organization Alley Cat Allies (https://www.alleycat.org/) established the day in 2001 to promote awareness for saving community cat lives, preventing their harm and encouraging nonlethal neutering of cats before returning them to their chosen freedom. (See https://www.alleycat.org/global-cat-day-is-october-16-take-the-pledge-to-fight-cruelty/)

The picture above is the cat that adopted us one day and accepted food, water and a safe place to sleep in our barn on cold nights. We followed the TNR (Trap – Neuter – Return) protocol with our veterinarian. Otherwise, Buddy would travel the countryside as he pleased.

Today’s haiku is dedicated to Buddy: Global Cat Day

one day you arrived

we enjoyed your company

until you moved on

We’re not sure what happened to Buddy, but we know for a short while we were graced with his presence.

For more information on how you can help feral cats, check out https://www.alleycat.org/about/frequently-asked-questions-faq/

High Coo – Oct 15 – BRIDGE DAY?

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“Bridge Day isn’t a day to celebrate the architectural beauty of bridges all around the world. Bridge Day is a festival held in Fayetteville, West Virginia in the United States where thousands of adventure lovers either watch or take part in various extreme sports that largely involve jumping off the New River Gorge Bridge….

The bridge was the world’s longest single-span arch bridge for 26 years and is now the fifth-longest. Because of the bridge’s whopping 876 feet height, it was a natural attraction for daredevils around the world. The initial person to jump off the bridge was Cowen’s Burton Ervin, a coal-mine foreman who jumped off the bridge on August 1, 1979, using a conventional parachute….

Why we love Bridge Day – it breaks the monotony of life. Let’s face it — life can get boring. Bridge Day reminds us to get out of the monotony of our regular lives at least once a year and reminds us that life can be exciting.” See https://nationaltoday.com/bridge-day/

When I think of a bridge, three pictures come to mind:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge

Mackinac Bridge – static.thousandwonders.net

All three immediately above have been very significant in my life. The first two for pleasure and the last is a haunting memory.

Here is today’s haiku: Bridge Day

You threatened to jump

into oncoming traffic –

I miss you brother

High Coo – Oct 14 – Tim Minchin’s 9 Life Lessons

High Coo – Oct 13 – Celebrate Failure

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The second Thursday in October is now known as the International Day for Failure. In 2010 a group of Finnish university students celebrated failure in hopes of encouraging more small business start-ups. The idea spread. Read more about it here: https://nationaltoday.com/international-day-for-failure/

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” ~Henry Ford

Failure is often a part of the process to success. Sometimes it’s the best motivator to try something new and become someone new. See this excellent post from the Wanderlust Worker, Robert Kanaat: https://www.wanderlustworker.com/if-you-think-you-can-or-you-cant-youre-right/ and https://www.wanderlustworker.com/about-this-blog/

Here’s today’s haiku: CELEBRATE FAILURE

try, try, try again

to learn how best to succeed –

repetition helps

Bottom line: if you want to be successful, never give up.

And, finally, if you’re fed up with both success and failure, well …. read this excellent post from Nate Muller: https://theapeiron.co.uk/the-myth-of-sisyphus-how-to-find-meaning-in-a-meaningless-world-a2ed98f11e20

“The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart.” Camus

High Coo – Oct 12 – National Pet Obesity Day

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October 12 is National Pet Obesity Day. See https://nationaltoday.com/national-pet-obesity-day/

“Many pets become overweight due to poor diet and lack of exercise. Another huge factor is the pet owner literally loving their pet to death. Most pet owners think their pets deserve treats every day and don’t need to go for walks if the pet would rather lie on the couch. This is a mistake the owners are making.

Diet is a major key factor in a pet’s body condition. It all starts with a measuring cup and good quality dog food.

The single most important thing that you can do to increase the lifespan and health of your pet is to maintain a healthy body weight.” See https://www.elkovet.com/services/blog/national-pet-obesity-day

Is your dog overweight? For more information check out this excellent article How to Determine Your Dog’s Healthy Weight and Body Condition at https://www.dailypaws.com/dogs-puppies/dog-nutrition/dog-weight-management/dog-weight-chart

Today’s haiku: National Pet Obesity Day

Don’t forget to play –

your pet needs exercise too –

healthy together

High Coo – Oct 11 – Happy Birthday Thich Nhat Hanh

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Zen Master and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh, was born on this day in 1926. He died earlier this year, at the age of 95, January 22, 2022. Known mostly for his non-violent peace activism during the American/Vietnam War in the 1960s, he was lauded by such notables as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Father Thomas Merton.

Thich Nhất Hạnh, or Thay’ (which means “teacher” in Vietnamese), “published over 130 books, including more than 100 in English, which as of January 2019 had sold over five million copies worldwide. His books, which cover topics including spiritual guides and Buddhist texts, teachings on mindfulness, poetry, story collections, and scholarly essays on Zen practice, have been translated into more than 40 languages as of January 2022. In 1986 Nhất Hạnh founded Parallax Press, a nonprofit book publisher and part of the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism.” See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thich_Nhat_Hanh

As one of his thousands of students, I have taken comfort especially in his books: Living Buddha, Living Christ, No Death, No Fear and No Mud, No Lotus published in 1995, 2002 and 2014 respectively. See https://www.parallax.org/authors/thich-nhat-hanh/ An inspiring quote from the first book mentioned is “Because you are alive, everything is possible.”

Today’s humble haiku: Happy Birthday Thich Nhat Hanh

Ev’ry moment counts,

relative and ultimate –

let’s pause, breathe and smile

https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/thich-nhat-hanh

High Coo – Oct 10 – Indigenous People’s Day

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“In 1992, Columbus Day became Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a sign of protest against the massacres that the Native Americans suffered at the hands of the Europeans. …Celebrating Columbus Day and Columbus himself goes against the very essence of indigenous nations as he was the man who began the genocide of the Native Americans.

For the Native Americans, Columbus Day was always hurtful as it glorified the violent past constituting 500 years of colonial torture and oppression by European explorers like Columbus and those who settled in America. Indigenous Peoples’ Day draws attention to the pain, trauma, and broken promises that were erased by the celebration of Columbus Day. Before his arrival, the indigenous folk were successful self-sufficient communities that sustained life for thousands of years.”

Find more information on this day at https://nationaltoday.com/indigenous-peoples-day/, https://www.vox.com/2014/10/13/6957875/christopher-columbus-murderer-tyrant-scoundrel and https://www.revolt.tv/article/2021-10-11/109820/the-truth-about-christopher-columbus-massacre-of-indigenous-caribbean-peoples/

Today’s haiku: INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S DAY

Greed and genocide

cannot erase the beauty

of native peoples

Life Matters

CHOOSE LOVE

Author Archives: Patrick Cole

About Patrick Cole

High Coo – Oct 19 – Walking Dogs

High Coo – Oct 18 – Happy Birthday Peter Boyle

High Coo – Oct 17 – Black Poetry Day

High Coo – Oct 16 – Global Cat Day

High Coo – Oct 15 – BRIDGE DAY?

High Coo – Oct 14 – Tim Minchin’s 9 Life Lessons

High Coo – Oct 13 – Celebrate Failure

High Coo – Oct 12 – National Pet Obesity Day

High Coo – Oct 11 – Happy Birthday Thich Nhat Hanh

High Coo – Oct 10 – Indigenous People’s Day