Lullaby Beginnings

26 Jul 2026 Leave a comment

by Dr. Tricia Wolanin in Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

Yesterday was the first day I gave out Lullaby cards.  I recently ordered them, but was dissatisfied.  They were the first time I brought them with me, although they didn’t turn out exactly like I wanted. The font on the back was too dark to truly see the Joseph Campbell quote in it’s entirety.  But if I kept waiting for the perfect moment to arise, and have the energy to reprint them, it may never happen.  And so I brought the cards with me.  A child wanted to pet Lullaby, his father looked at me querying me if it was okay for him to pet her.  I nodded, and after some time offered the cards to him and his siblings as he pet Lullaby during the sunset.  Another adult onlooker having a picnic dinner wanted her own Lullaby card, and so I shared the love.

            This is the smallest act of kindness you can do to humanity.  Offering a momentary tangible piece of paper that can bring a smile.  And it can do so much, it can be contagious.  Over the past year, I had dealt with the grief of losing my 16 year old chug Bella, and prior to that 15 year old English bulldog Puzo.  I was literally running out of cards and couldn’t therefore give them out as freely, but also during grief it can be difficult to offer more.  I didn’t have it in me to make new cards with their image on it, since they were no longer on this earth.  Yet, with the arrival of Lullaby, things changed.  She could be on one side, while they could greet strangers on the other.

            And now with Lullaby we are doing this act of kindness again.  She does this automatically as she greets everyone with joy.  As I write this, I sit in a coffee shop, she’s in a stroller gazing at new customers and the song “send me an angel” plays in the background.  This is poignant, as I am in a coffee shop I used to frequent with Bella.  We stopped in the neighborhood to drop off donations to the rescue I got Lullaby from.  In my old neighborhood, I walked Lullaby along the same path I used to frequent after work, along a marina.  We sat in the same spot that Bella would take in the sun.  There were some tears shed, but also gratitude to be here with her. 

            Lullaby has her struggles, she’s had her fourth seizure in the past two months.  And as we are sorting this out, have her on medication, she still is full of love every other moment of the day.  I hope this blog reminds you that it doesn’t take much to share kindness with a stranger.  It only takes a smile.

Introducing Lullaby

13 Jul 2026 Leave a comment

by Dr. Tricia Wolanin in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Years ago I created this blog to accompany kindness quotes I shared on cards I distributed with my two previous dogs’ images on them: Puzo and Bella. After Bella’s death last year, my process of giving away the cards has minimized and I admit I am running out of the hundreds of cards I had purchased. It’s been awhile I have written, with an additional move, new job, and now new dog.

Meet Lullaby.

Lullaby is a five year old Frug (french bulldog /pug mix), who I got as a rescue from Legacy of Love in Ventura. She is believed to be 5, but exerts puppy energy. Her story is like many other french bulldog mamas. What we know is she was used for breeding, and was brought to the shelter for an emergency c-section. All puppies died, and her owners abandoned her due to the high vet bill. Although they made money off of her breeding, they couldn’t pay for her necessary surgery. After one week of healing in the shelter, she was brought to the rescue, and the following week I adopted her.

Lullaby was the name the rescue gave her, but I opted to keep it. There was a preciousness to this word, a gentle song sung to children as they sleep. And she is living into the essence of the word.

Despite the tragedies and trauma she experienced, she seems to be the most joyful soul. She greets everyone with exuberance, love, and curiosity. It doesn’t matter if they are a fellow dog or human, she wants to say hello with a booty shake and excited energy. She still doesn’t understand that not everyone wants to say hello. My friend Isabella nicknamed her Kimmy Schmidt, from the the Netflix show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. This lead character also went through tragedy, but had a persistent smile , curiosity to the world, and an extraordinary amount of resilience.

Our two months together have been a journey, and I learn more about her on a daily basis. The first several days, she would lay her head on my hip or nuzzle her nose by my neck. It was as if she held me in place, not wanting me to leave. With time, she slowly gained independence. My friend Lisa encouraged me to do a ritual of healing from the traumas for Lullaby shortly after I got her, which intentionally coincided with Mother’s Day. Lullaby has had several seizures in these two months, and is now on medication. I look at her, unaware of what she has gone through but in awe of the happiness she exudes with every walk she takes. For those that are dog people, I notice they smile on the street as she walks by, ask to pet her, and give her blessings for this next part of her life.

She reminds me we always have a choice in how we want to engage with the world. We don’t have to be victims of our circumstances. In the midst of suffering, we can find glimmers of joy, and capacity to share kindness.

I hope one day you have the opportunity to meet Lullaby. Or perhaps you have your own furry friend who reminds you to be present and kind.