Published: May 04, 2008 12:21 am            

DRINKWALTER: Look first or leap first?

LOCKPORT — All of life is really a leap of faith for everyone. We go to bed at night and believe we will wake up in the morning. We go to work and have faith when the work day is done we will return home. We plan to marry and believe we’ll spend a lifetime with our partners. Some say, “Look before you leap.” I keep a note by my computer that reads, “Leap first and the net will appear.”

Last Thursday night our daughter, Rachel and Tim, her fiance, met with the pastor at our house for a quick dinner and a discussion of their upcoming wedding. Tim drove into Lockport from Olean, as he recently began a position in law enforcement in that area and she drove in from Cheektowaga.

After dinner, my husband Paul and I decided to take Bella, the wild and crazy Pomeranian puppy, for a walk while they had their meeting. Before we left, Rachel warned, “When you take her outside on the sidewalk, keep her on the short leash.” “OK,” I quipped, “We should have done same with you, huh?” (It was funny at the time.)

We tripped over the puppy as we walked her through the neighborhood. Bella kept crossing in front of and behind Paul and coming toward me, so most of the time was spent unwinding ourselves from her leash. When we got back to the house she was full of energy and the meeting wasn’t quite over. I then took Bella out on the long leash and ran her in the back yard until we were both beat.

I never dreamed that might be our last long run for a long time. Two days later, Rachel, Tim and the puppy were visiting Tim’s family at their country place near Hornell. Bella must’ve read that “leap first” posting of mine and taken it to heart, because she got so excited to run and play with the two new puppies that Tim’s family had brought down for the weekend that she leapt through the air from a platform down 12 feet of stairs and broke one of her back legs when she landed.

It turned into a heart-wrenching day for all of them. The plan was for Rachel, Tim and Bella to visit there for a few hours and then go to Olean and do some painting. They have been working hard remodeling the home they will be sharing. But, that day, they went bearing early Mother’s Day gifts and a belated birthday gift for Tim’s sister and ended up leaving the puppy hospitalized in Hornell. Before moving to Albany, Tim’s mom used to work for the Humane Society in the Hornell area, so fortunately she knew the veterinarians.

When I heard what happened, I felt awful for the puppy and sensed the last thing either of them needed was a convalescing puppy to deal with. They are learning early to take the good with the bad, so I guess in that respect, it’s a good lesson.

Maybe “Leap first and the net will appear” isn’t the best motto after all. Sometimes “Look before you leap” makes better sense if you’re a wild and crazy Pomeranian puppy.

(By the way, Bella has returned home and is getting around well on three paws and a cast. She now has a new nickname — Tripod.)

Deb Drinkwalter is a Lockport resident.

        

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