“Frisbee Skiing”

This was one of the first indications I had of how inventive and wily Shayna’s brain really is, and of the persistent joy that we might bring to each others’ lives.

How nice it was to be right about something so important as this.

2002: “Frisbee skiing” during our first big summer road trip

A few months after I adopted Shayna, when she was about 6 months old, we went on a big road trip from Charlottesville all the way up to Maine and back.  She’d never been interested much in catching a frisbee, but she figured out that it had other uses – she could put it on the ground, back up, then run up and put her front paws into it, and push herself along.  And she found this eminently amusing:

This next clip was taken while visiting with my friend Randy in Long Island, NY. He’s a heck of a nice guy, but not the best cameraman, as you’ll see. (Note: He kept urging me to direct Shayna to “ski” on her frisbee in the direction of a house whose dog incessantly barks, to sort of return the favor of loud, undesired noises.)

On a more personal note, here is Randy’s commentary on the change he saw in me, via my interaction with Shayna. It was very touching to hear this after we got home to Virginia. His thoughts closely matched what I was feeling; like a new “me” was blossoming inside the shell of the old me. Those feelings became the genesis of the book I decided to write, to honor the miracle of every day with Shayna:

January 2003: “Frisbee skiing” in the snow for the first time!

This was the first time that Shayna got to do her frisbee skiing in real snow… and it was a delight to watch, and film. If you’re in a hurry, fast forward to the 4:00 minute mark. There’s pretty much nothing that makes me happier than seeing her this happy, and enjoying herself. I appear on-screen at the 9:45 mark to join in the recorded, snowy fun.

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Written by: Jon on July 9, 2011.