Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
Ever find yourself (probably as a kid, ’cause if it happened nowadays, you’d be reading this from a hospital bed) running so fast that your head was leading your feet so much as to create a very real risk of falling. And, despite a patently justified urgency surrounding this sense of disequilibrium, a part of you insists there’s plenty of time to make a decision, (slow down head/speed up feet). That’s kind of how this week ended for me. As a result, I will ask that you bear with me, as my narrative may become somewhat… ‘loosely bound’*
The photo up there? Ola at age … 6 months(?) I have Y-Chrome Syndrome (which, as everyone knows, presents as a marked predisposition towards birthday/anniversary-lexia. Item 3 below will provide a more cogent context.)
1) Lets start with technology as Item 1 on this week’s ‘oT. Pick a device, any device! Phones and computers, cars and cameras. Especially the cameras, which is worthy of note, given I’m a clark. clarks are, of course, famously photophobic. Want a quick way to spot the clark at the family reunion? The person behind the camera, every time.
2) I’ll mention the Wakefield Doctrine here at Number Two, even though (or perhaps, because), I’ll be citing Doctrine chapter and verse throughout the post. All around fun and scary efficacious.1
3) Phyllis and Una and I were sitting in my ‘office’ while I typed the first draft of this Post and, for some reason, we started talking about Ola, more precisely, we were remembering ‘Ola stories’. I think it started when one of us mentioned Una’s habit of barking when either of us leave in the morning. Phyllis recalled how Ola, as a very young dog, used to sit in the bathtub as we tried to leave for work. Clearly her (Ola, not Phyllis) reasoning was that an Offer like that would not be so easily dismissed. Then there was the time, when Ola was teething, I decided the only safe place to leave her during the day was the kitchen. (We have a smallish galley kitchen, like a squared off ‘U’ cabinets, stove, refrigerator and vinyl floor.) So I blocked off the open end and left Ola with a full water bowl, a bunch of toys and a blanket (and I think the TV was on, for company, of course) and left for work. I happened to get home first that night and I walked through the dining area, (that ‘elled’ into the kitchen), and there was Ola. Sitting perfectly upright in the middle of the kitchen with a pile of vinyl flooring scattered about, the entire floor removed. Ola was looking at me, the way that dogs do so very well, “Hi! Look!! Look at what I did!” (wag wag wag). So I looked at her and said “What a good girl! Such a day’s work!” And Ola’s tail, which had been slowly, modestly wagging, went into full sweep.
We both loved Ola very much. And she loved us.
4) Work…. ayiiee! Always an opportunity to become aware of how frequently fear is a factor in my everyday decision-making. When I’m lucky, I notice it early enough to make a (slightly) different decision.
5) Una. She is the most athletic, (in a Nadia Comaneci sort of way), dog that we’ve had. She has an astounding ability to spring upwards. Like, she’d be standing in front of the couch, and then she be on the couch, no need to flex her muscles, no running start. Four feet on the floor. Four feet on the couch. And, she’s not a big dog, so it’s not like with Bella or Ola, both of whom could simple step up onto the couch.
6) Gravity Challenge…. hard to believe that we’ve been doing this thing for…hold on, let me go look a ling time. damn! Every day except Sunday. You should join us.
7) How about a little BoSR/SBoR Primer…. although everyone pretty much has the idea, i.e. if you find yourself struggling with coming up with as many Items as you had hoped for, or you have a situation and you think it might not qualify as a Grat item, or you’re like me and kinda want to have fun with serious things, then the Book is there. Some one, it might have been, Jo or maybe it was Kerry in any event they restated the concept of ‘hypo-gratitude’ way better than I could…. and it’s that (kind of) approach that makes the TToT such an inclusive and fun ‘hop.
8) Gotta save me a couple of places for the rollout of ‘Home and Heart’ (a Sister Margaret Ryan novel) I’ll post the link to Chapter 1 here and ask those so inclined to go to the jukepop site to read the Chapter and vote (cause they have a thing where you vote and comment and such). I will also be messaging out the Chapter links in ‘the Facebook’ to all of them what indicated an interested.
9) Josie for opening the doors to this place each weekend, welcoming those who have never been here and maintaining the kind of continuity that keeps the best and allows for better.
10) Secret Rule 1.3
* zoe’s lips are now moving, expert lip-readers are looking puzzled as they say, “…coals to Newcastle” (?)
1) I still can’t find the word I’m looking for to describe the quality (of the Doctrine) that denotes having an accuracy of prediction, and further, asserts the validity of groupings of characteristics to one, (of each), of the three personality types. Example: rogers live in a quantifiable world, they like filmmaker Ken Burns’s work… a lot, if they enjoy bicycling, they prefer to wear clothing with the logo of every major corporation, at least as many as will fit; if they have a workshop, (basement or garage), they not only will have an organized workshop, the workshop will include a pegboard for tools and, not only will they have a pegboard for tools, the pegboard will have the silhouette of each tool drawn out, one for each. That quality, theres a word of how these (among other) disparate characteristics hold true for rogers as well as do the counter part characteristic qualities for clarks and scotts do…. whatever that word is
About clarkscottroger
What a wonderful trip down memory lane.
In addition to the “I would be willing to take a bath, if you would stay.”; I appreciated how she would run the house as perfectly as the most “well-bred” human. She gently, but firmly, laid down the rules for overnight guests, and had a perfect sense of etiquette.
If I purchased a dog toy, she always made sure that it was nearby before I came home, even though most of the purchased toys did not interest her.
The picture above is Ola at nine weeks (dated 9/9/1991). I must be a Roger if I remember the exact date.
well, there is that
I gotta say that I don’t know anyone who traced out their tools on a pegboard. lol. John’s garage looks like…well…there’s a place for everything, but only he knows where everything is. :D
Perhaps I’ll just subscribe to the jukebox thingie, so I don’t have to wait.
And the decision thing regarding work. This would be THE REASON sometimes my own job drives me nuts. I feel the lives of kids on my shoulders should I screw up. Eep! lol.
…and it’s so insidious, (the way fear insinuates itself into our thoughts), disguised, all too often as prudence and care (in planning) fortunately we have our scottian aspects to provide quick contrast to outline the fear-disguised-as-fact
Oh, Ola! I’ve never had a dog remove flooring, but we did have two dogs who worked together to remove the wallpaper from a room! Hmm, we have some home projects to do here–I wonder if Drexel will help? :-)
lol funny how different dogs/puppies (and humans) can be… Ola did the most to the house, Una has done (or did) very little chewing and general eating the house
Spirit of puppies past are still with you, and the stories and memories bring joy in the present. I get that, even without a pet. Because, clearly your dogs are family members. It’s not often you get to meet bloggy friends in real life, as well as their canine family. Una has a sweet place in my heart .
thats right! she was part of our vacation trip! yeah, the ‘is this real or is this virtual’ element to society and our personal lives here in the 21st Century is often subtley shaded
Oh Clark, you are such a sweetie! To commend Ola for her fine job of removing vinyl flooring reminds me of stepping outside my bedroom door one morning years back to discover a freshly killed mouse (that I nearly stepped on) and a very proud kitty standing watch. So of course I had to praise her for her mouse catching skills! I was not quite as generous with a dog we once had that opted to destroy the living room sofa when we were out one evening. I will never know what prompted that, perhaps he agreed that we needed a new one!
My daughter’s tools and work area in her garage very closely resemble what you describe, I wish I as more like that at times. If someone makes a place/plan for things I will follow through, but organization of objects is not one of my strengths, I can sit quite happily in a pile of clutter (and then wonder why I feel a bit chaotic). :-)
You nailed it regarding fear being a deciding factor when making decisions, that is something I’ve had to work hard on and continue to work at. I think it’s something parents really need to focus on when raising their children. Fear controls our lives in dark ways that often go unnoticed until we realize what happens when we break free of that cloud.
I would love to see Una’s ability to plant herself on the sofa. I am always amazed at how my cats can go nearly straight up from floor to fridge top or cabinet, making it look so easy. Do they have an anti-gravity mode?
I think hypo-grats are the best! It is a wise person who is thankful not only for the good things that happen but also for the bad things that don’t happen or things that could have gone worse. I applaud the ability to seek out the silver linings and redemptive character of such events.
I am very much looking forward to your new story, maybe if I start now I”ll be able to keep up! Thanks for another awesome TToT, I am so glad we are able to maintain and grow this weekly celebration of life!
(nearly) the most necessary, certainly the biggest return on effort is to try to find my way to the here and now each day. There are so many levels to the effect of the presence of fear that it’s not funny. From the hesitation to do something for fear of other’s reactions to the shying away of taking a course of action that may not succeed and invite the scorn from…. wait a minute! there’s a theme here!! lol
forae like the one that the TToT offers is such a positive environment, which encourages taking something and hold it up in front of others to say, ‘hey does any else see a ‘Kick Me’ on the back of this shirt? (knowing that the answer will un-biased by my own hopes (or fear).
cool
YAY to number nine. Although I am not a Ttot regular, I like reading the posts on my breaks and really missed it when the team was quiet.
totally agree… with Joise (taking up the helm from Lizzi) it’s good to know that this place remains available to us all.
I love that story Clark. The floor pulling dog. All in a day’s work is right.
I like Ken Burns.
Yes, number nine for sure. Also, your way with words and thoughts.
And yay that I can comment again, as I think something went wrong last week when I tried. Also, thinking on it now, I wish I had as much flexibility as your dog or my cat.
excellent! (on the commentationing being back)
Hey! Chapter 1 ( ‘Home and Heart’ a Sister Margaret Ryan novel) is due out today. Now that I think of it, I believe you started with Almira, (the first Sister Margaret Ryan story, ‘Blogdominion’ came before.) This, if I may be so bold would be a great opportunity to get a reaction from someone who did not read the first? I’ll send a link to the wordpress site in ‘the Facebook’ like we did with Almira?
Oh I fell in love with Ola just from your writing. Of course, just losing my fur baby a month and half ago, tears are streaming down my eyes – in a good way. Thank you…
She was a perfect lifeform. Sorry to hear of your loss, it is an awful thing to have to endure and yet, they are worth it, even the awful part.
Well now I know that my husband is a Clark, based on your #1.
Your patient comment to Ola upon seeing your torn up floor says so much about your character. She obviously had already thought to herself, “Why did I do that!” and wasn’t looking forward to being punished. You endeared yourself to her forever with your tone of voice.
I think that it is interesting how so often spouses are complete opposites in some ways in the beginning, but as time goes on they each become a little more like the other, or at least are more understanding of the need each has to function in a certain way.
Congratulations on the start of another book.
(and we could add to our ‘across-a-continent, never-met-in-person’ give to use of sentence fragments (especially when the topic is interesting to him), never-ending curiosity*, a slightly stooped posture (not age related, simply a slightly rounded forward in the shoulder), total kindness and, of course, natural creativity.
*if you came back to your car from the mall, seeing that all that cars had flyers stuck in the windshield wipers (I don’t think anyone does this any more, not since email… but they did back in the day) he would not just throw away the flyer, he would read it first
Phyllis’ comment about “I’d be willing to take a bath if you’d stay” reminds me of the old Popeye cartoons and the Wimpy character. “I’d be glad to pay you on Tuesday for a hamburger today.”
Love the memories you shared – pets are a beloved part of any family, for sure.
#4 – Work and fear? Yeah. I’m having that huge right now. To my own detriment.
Graviteering – booyah! Glad to say it’s been steadily working in my favor and that’s a good thing.