I recently read this quote, and I thought, “Who the hell is Rickey Henderson?” I will admit, I’m not big on baseball, but I have heard of Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. I’ve even heard of Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriquez. If this guy were that good, wouldn’t I have heard of him? Must have played a long time ago, I thought.

So I googled him. Imagine my surprise to find that Mr. Henderson played his last game in 2003. So much for him being unforgettable.

It got me to think, though. First of all, all of us need to remember that to the greater world at large, we are NOT irreplaceable. If something happened to me, the places that I work for would find someone else to do my job. My house and belongings would be disposed of. Someone would take my pets. Life will go on after my life is complete.

Nevertheless, there will, I hope, be a small pool of people upon whom I’ve made an indelible impact. Their lives, too, will continue, but they will be changed because of me and my absence. My brothers, my father (assuming he outlives me), my children. And, of course, my Master. For all of these people I will have touched their hearts so deeply that when I am gone I will not be forgotten.

No, Mr. Henderson, you are not so much of a legend that the world comes to a standstill after you are gone. But, perhaps, if you are lucky, you will have left your mark on the people closest to you.

I watched my little foster dog perform a miracle today.

Less than two weeks ago, I took a small dog into my house. Some of us are trying to get it ready to be the dog of a house of disabled persons. Most of the people in the house like the dog, especially one client.

Well, that client had a stroke this past week. Talking to my boss on Friday, it looked grim. I went to see him. I didn’t take the dog because I didn’t think I’d be able to get it into the hospital. This disappointed another staff who had spearheaded this whole project to get the dog. I called my college age son who was home for homecoming, and when I explained the situation, he brought the dog over.

The client looked like he was simply sleeping in his bed, but he would not open his eyes or respond to anyone. When we put the dog in his arms, he moved his head a little. He tried to open his eyes but was just not able to. We left, not sure if we would see him alive again.

On Saturday afternoon we returned. Just seconds before we walked into his room, the man opened his eyes (Could he have sensed we were coming?). For an entire hour he held his head up and held that dog to him. He could only use one arm, and he was very tired. By the end of the hour, the he was unable to keep his eyes open. But he held on to that little dog.

Taking this dog in, even temporarily, has been work. I have wondered why I did it. She reminded me of why in the hospital room. These things we do when we go above and beyond are important. They make a difference.

I believe that type of attitude is what makes me a good submissive. I want to go above and beyond to serve in order to reap the benefits of a job well done and to see that I do make a difference in the life of the Master that I love.

I have found that to be true. Working in high schools, I have experienced many Homecomings and Proms and other “special” events. The problem is, after experiencing them year after year, they lose their uniqueness in my eyes. The past couple of weeks I have watched the kids get all excited about homecoming, dressing up funny and decorating hallways and cars and floats. I have watched the big pep assemblies, as I have year after year. I find that I am no longer bitten by the excitement of the moment. For many in the school, not only are these things not exciting, they are a pain in the butt, something merely to be endured.

Prom is another example. I never went to Prom when I was in high school. Now that I have had the chance to go (again and again and again…) it has sort of lost its luster. I still go, and I enjoy seeing the kids all dressed up, but it’s a yearly event for me, like Christmas or birthdays or whatever. It comes every year.

Relationships can also lose their shine. I heard a joke once about a newlywed couple taking a walk on a trail. The woman falls, and the husband rushes to her and helps her up. “Are you okay, Mary?” he asks anxiously. She is fine, and they continue on their way. Ten years later, the same couple are walking on the same trail. The woman again falls. This time the husband calls back, “Mary, what are you doing? Would you hurry up already?”

In a way, the experiences involved in bdsm can help with that. By doing bdsm activities, couples push themselves into new avenues, avoiding the “same old same old” that breeds contempt. It does, of course, take effort, just like any relationship. But there is room and direction for growth.

Yes, it will be late when I get this one posted. I have had some difficulties writing lately.

My first problem has been coming up with ideas. I like to have a few posts ready to go in a folder, but for the past several days I have had to rack my brain to come up with even one idea per day. What can I talk about? What can I say? I look in the news, in quotes, think about life in general in an attempt to generate an idea.

That has led to the second problem: time. This morning I finally came up with an idea (or two) but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn’t have time to develop it before I went to work. Not wanting to do a half-assed job, I put it off until I had more time. That is why it is 10:00 pm (my time) and I am just now writing my post.

I’m sure Master will see good in this in many ways. It makes me appreciate the effort that goes into writing. It is truly not that easy! Many books are never written; many blogs are started but die on the vine. They never go anywhere because the writer doesn’t see it through.

It is also a good thing that I am thinking. Sometimes I have shown Master something I have written and he has said, “It’s not ready. There is more to say. There is more to develop.” I don’t know if I will develop all the ideas to their fullest, but I am working on it, letting the thoughts take me where they will.

A couple of days ago, I wrote about Warren Jeffs, the man who was found guilty to being an accessory to rape because he helped arrange a marriage between a 19 year old man and his 14 year old cousin. I said that it didn’t make sense to me that Jeffs could be an accessory when no one had been charged with the rape. Well, Wednesday they charged the man, who is now 26, with rape. They did it kind of backwards, probably wanted to see if the rape charge would fly under these circumstances.

I also talked about Michael Vick, who has been charged in both federal and state court with crimes having to do with his association with illegal dog fighting. The latest on Mr. Vick? He tested positive for marijuana use. I’m not sure this will or should impact his being charged in two different jurisdictions for the same crime, but it sure makes him look like an idiot. He’s under the spotlight. STOP DOING STUPID THINGS! Someone is bound to notice.

So, I guess I’m not batting so well on the latest news issues of the day…..