Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, September 23, 2017

8

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 23, 2017 


HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc

DEER CROSSING

And a Bunch of Other Reasons to 

SLOW DOWN!

THE JOY OF YOGA


RELY ON YOUR PRACTICE

I’ll never forget the first time I saw a family of deer 
grazing on the property where I lived when I moved 
to Sierra Madre 24 years ago. I had heard there were 
wild deer that lived in the foothills, and that they often 
came down into the canyons and neighborhoods while 
foraging for food during the day. But until that morning 
when I awoke early and saw them nibbling away on the 
‘weeds’ in my yard, I had no idea how majestic that sight 
could be.

 I was amazed at how peaceful they were, roaming free 
among the humans as we bustled about to get out of our 
houses and into our cars, then swiftly down the hill to 
the freeway and eventually to work, hopefully on time! 
Those deer gave me a sense of serenity. Just knowing 
they were there, trusting us to show them respect and 
bidding that we allow them to carry on with their simple 
way of living. It made me realize all the more, how 
fortunate I was to live in this unique and special place.

 Many years have passed since my first deer sighting 
in Sierra Madre and much has changed in our town, but 
one thing that has stayed the same is the excitement I 
always feel each time I get to see deer passing through 
my neighborhood. I tend to keep an eye out for them, 
in hopes that they will indeed come around and I will be 
blessed with that majestic moment of serenity that they 
have a way of bringing to my day.

 I drive on Grand View Avenue daily, and often, when 
I am headed east toward Santa Anita Blvd. I’ll catch a 
glimpse of some darling deer laying under the trees in 
the huge yard on the north side of the street, or frolicking 
in the city yards on the south side. I always slow down 
when I see them because I know there may be a young 
straggler still trying to scale the fence to cross the street 
and join the others, or perhaps one of the adults taking 
up the rear to ensure that everyone else made it safely 
across.

 It only takes a couple of seconds for me to slow down, 
just in case, and for me it is always such a pleasure to 
see them. This is why I am completely mystified by the 
many motorists I see speeding across Grand View on 
a daily basis, with the pedal to the metal as if they are 
on a freeway in LA rather than on a residential street in 
Sierra Madre. The speed limit on Grand View is 30 miles 
per hour, just in case that is not made clear enough by 
the signs. I’m just saying.

 One might argue that Grand View is such a wide 
open road, it is tempting for even a good driver to go 
over the limit a bit because of the steep hill and wide 
range of visibility. I get it, I do. But 
still, the law is the law. I appeal to all 
my readers, please abide by it when 
you are driving through our town. I 
sense that there are numerous drivers 
who somehow feel exempt from such 
“petty” traffic laws as ‘going the speed 
limit’ or ‘stopping at a stop sign‘, but no 
one is exempt! There really are reasons 
why those silly little laws that have 
been put into place. It’s ok if you don’t 
understand. Just do it. 

 And then there are the tiny winding 
roads up in the canyon where residents 
wish to enjoy a peaceful, quiet lifestyle 
and they pay dearly for it. Did you know that the speed 
limit on most canyon roads is 15 miles per hour? Yep, 
just like the signs say…FIFTEEN, not fifty! As a dog 
walker who often has no choice but to walk along the 
short shoulders of those tiny canyon roads, I know for a 
fact that there are far too many people who apparently 
do not know the speed limit up there, or again, perhaps 
they think they are exempt or just don‘t care.

 Please read and acknowledge the speed limit signs 
in the canyon, even if 15 mph seems ridiculous. And if 
there happens to be a pedestrian walking on the road 
where there is no sidewalk, you might have to slow 
down enough to allow them to get to a place where 
they can get off the road onto someone’s driveway or 
yard to allow you to pass by. Don’t threaten them by 
revving your motor or pressing in so close they feel 
forced to hop on a boulder or climb a tree to get out 
of your way. Basic common sense, right? One would 
think.

 Then there are those who, in lieu of showing the 
courtesy of slowing down and allowing the pedestrian 
enough time to get off the road, choose to speed up 
even more and zoom around them with a scowl as if 
that person intentionally set out to conspire against 
their morning commute. Anyone who is in that much 
of a hurry might want to consider leaving the house a 
bit earlier to allow for enough time to accommodate the 
canyon-dweller slash LA-commuter lifestyle they chose 
for themselves. Just a thought.

 The other day I had to laugh when someone asked 
me, “Why do people need to walk their dogs on the 
streets in the canyon anyway?” There once was a time 
when I could have had a field day with that one and 
left him feeling like a real moron, but not anymore. 
I just smiled on the outside and laughed real hard on 
the inside before backing away slowly and leaving him 
apparently still waiting for an answer. No, it wasn’t a 
rhetorical question, and no, he wasn’t kidding! I had to 
laugh.

 Now I realize this little rant doesn’t quite qualify as 
a “Happy Tail”, but I do hope it may have brought on 
a little giggle or smile to lighten the day for those who 
‘get it‘. Most importantly, though, I hope the message 
hits home with at least one reader who is ready to 
admit he or she needs to slow down when driving in 
town. Peace and tranquility…if I remember correctly, 
these were top on the list of many reasons why most 
of us moved here.

 Life is not 
always joyful. 
We are, in fact, 
experiencing the 
human condition 
of joy, happiness, 
freedom, sadness, fear, and sorrow each day and it is 
a great thing to be experiencing all these emotions. 
It means we are alive and listening.

 It’s important to feel low (not stuck there 
indefinitely), ineffective, or even lost. These times 
are opportunities for mini-awakenings. They cause 
us to consider such questions as “Am I stuck?” or 
“Is there an area of my life that needs intention and 
surrender?”

 This when your yoga practice can be the ace in the 
hole! Our practice says, 1) this doesn’t have to be 
hard, 2) the answers are inside already, and 3) take 
it easy, apply stability, softness, and love.

Even if your yoga starts as a purely physical 
practice, spiritual development takes place. Each 
time we practice, we’re making a connection to our 
deeper selves. Making this connection over and 
over strengthens our faith and intuition. There is 
huge power in this divine connection. There are 
choices.

 So why not rely upon your practice to live life? 
Why not use it to release stress and tension? It is 
through cultivating awareness, moving through 
fear and creating nourishing, smooth breath that 
real growth happens.

 Additionally, it’s quite hard to access intuition and 
clarity when we are stressed. When we minimize 
stress, we GET to be happy and joyful. Sadness, 
grief, or guilt are not our lots in the long term. 
It is not who we are. Our true state is one of joy 
and light. Think of your practice as working from 
the inside out. Come to rely upon its answers and 
comfort.

 See you on the mat at Yoga Madre, www.
yogamadre.com. 
Namaste, Keely Totten


THE MISSING PAGE

Real Life Tips from LIfe's Instruction Manual

SO WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?

“Tell me, what is it you plan to 
do

With your one wild and 
precious life?”

 Mary Oliver-The Summer Day

 Do you want to attract a partner, love and be 
loved?

 How about relieving your boredom and 
escaping drudgery?

 Would you like to find adventure and discover 
your life purpose?

 Could you fulfill a lifelong dream?

 Every day is a brand new day. We get to push 
the reset button daily. It’s such a beautiful gift, the 
ability to choose how we will spend our time. On 
those occasions when we are actively pursuing 
our passions, we feel alive and engaged in our 
lives rather than merely repeating a routine and 
acting unconsciously on auto-pilot. The instant 
we make a decision and choose a pursuit creates 
a change and a trigger. We will sometimes feel an 
immediate shift and exhilaration in the decision 
alone, but sometimes there is a different reaction. 
It is very common to encounter resistance. Our 
internal warning system will go into high alert, 
and if we are not ready for it, we will be knocked 
off our access.

 They are all forms of procrastination: The three 
D’s.

 First is a delay. Having you ever decided you 
wanted to do something that made you a little 
nervous and been overcome with a need to clean 
your house? That’s resistance.

 Another is a distraction. Think about a time 
when you decided to start a project, but got 
sucked into a Netflix binge. That was resistance.

The final culprit is dissuasion. Your mind starts 
running a tape of why your idea now is such a 
bad idea. Or perhaps you will start reliving past 
negative experiences and start contemplating 
playing it safe. That’s resistance too.

 Resistance is not going anywhere, like gravity, 
it’s a law of the universe, but with awareness, 
we can work through it. How do we combat 
resistance? What we resist will persist, so I 
don’t recommend fighting it; rather it’s best to be 
prepared to face it. 

 Always start with why. Write down clear 
defined goals and the reasons behind them. 
Remind yourself of how you want to feel and paint 
a clear picture of what success of your project will 
look like for you.

 One thing you can do is build in some 
responsibility. Employ a friend as an 
accountability partner with regularly scheduled 
check-ins. Or ask your friend to join you in your 
new challenge.

 Your calendar is another support tool. Create 
a non-negotiable schedule and stick to it. Design 
a simple reward system for yourself. Sometimes 
just seeing the number of checked off completed 
tasks can be hugely satisfying,

 If you fall off, you can always start over. 
Remember to have fun; the joy is in the journey, 
not the destination.

 Lori is a lawyer and coach helping women over 
40 find love and have fun doing it. Find out more 
about her on her free app Gratitude Train and her 
website, LORIAHARRIS.com


GIRL POWER!


ZOEY & CHLOE 
are adorable sister 
twins, now age 
14 months. They 
are a mix of tabby 
and tortoiseshell 
and soooo cute!! 
Zoey has the black 
nose and Chloe 
has the lighter 
colored nose. They 
are very bonded and will be adopted together. Use our 
TWOFUR OFFER. Zoey and Chloe are such love bugs. 
Kiss Chloe’s face and she just loves it, and will kiss you 
back. Zoey will keep you entertained for hours.Adoption 
fee is $100 for both, which includes spays, microchips, 
exams & vaccines. A great savings! Our cats are healthy 
& negative FELV/FIV unless otherwise indicated. 

Chloe’s (aka Luna) video is https://youtu.be/
momqph67A0I

Zoey’s (aka Bella) video is https://youtu.be/6cjIPB7fAgk

See more pictures, videos, adoption info & application 
on our website, www.lifelineforpets.org. 

Call 626-676-9505 for a Meet & Greet. 

Adoption Event: Sat., 9/30, 7 - 11 a..m. Memorial Park, 
Sierra Madre. Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast and Pooch 
Parade. Join us!


HOW ABOUT A NEW BEST FRIEND?


Chocolate is a very handsome 
boy who is as sweet as his name. 
Chocolate was surrendered to the 
shelter by an owner who could no 
longer care for him. Chocolate 
is thought to be a Chihuahua – 
Dachshund mix, weighing about 20 
pounds. He is about one and a half 
years old. 

Chocolate is a friendly, affectionate 
dog who seems to love the company 
of people. He greets new friends 
with a smiling face, wagging tail and 
lots of kisses to share. Chocolate 
seems interested in meeting other 
dogs as well, and playfully interacts 
with many of the dogs he has met at 
the shelter. This happy boy is full of personality, and 
just wants to find a loving home where he is treated 
as part of the family. Chocolate needs daily exercise 
and would love to have a big yard 
where he can run and play. If you 
have room in your heart for a great 
little dog, come meet Chocolate - he 
is as sweet as a Hershey’s kiss! His 
adoption fee is $130 and includes 
neuter surgery, vaccinations, 
microchip and a free wellness exam 
at a participating veterinarian. Feel 
free to call us at (626) 286-1159 for 
more information. He currently 
resides at the San Gabriel Valley 
Humane Society located at 851 
E. Grand Avenue in San Gabriel 
which is located off San Gabriel 
Blvd, north of Mission and south of 
Las Tunas Drive. To arrange a ‘Meet 
and Greet’, please stop by any time from 10:30am 
to 4:30pm Tuesday through Sunday.Website:www.
sgvhumane.org. ID#28785

 Walter Cailleteau, DVM Free Exam!
927 N. Michillinda Ave. For New Clients 
Pasadena, CA 91107 Bring this coupon to save! 
(626) 351-8863
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com