Post by Christine on Dec 21, 2008 17:44:46 GMT -5
Found this on the mausersandmuffins web blog, and thought I'd share it here.
Kip
HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY BARKLEY!
He's spent many an evening with me, laying at my feet, while the strains of Celtic Women or Bach, played by Andres Segovia on the guitar, filled the house. As I talked or read out loud, his ears would perk up, as if he could almost understand the words.
People would probably think me insane, sitting and talking to my dog, but at the end of the day, as I bustle around the kitchen preparing dinner for friends stopping by or simply sitting quietly with a book, I can talk softly about the things that will matter to me the rest of my life. And he only reacts to the heft of my words or the urgency of tone as I talk -about missing those who are gone, and the nature of terrorism and death and the way I've had to look deep into my own capacities to become the person I am. And if perhaps, as words flow, so does a tear, he will stop whatever he's doing and quietly lick the drops off my cheek, until the thoughts that brought them have gone up the chimney with woodsmoke.
I've had people tell me they don't like dogs -"It's just an animal" I've heard, but those are people that I would chose not to spend time with. Yes, Barkley will never win any awards as a rocket scientist or garner the Nobel Peace Prize (though I did think he'd get one before Al Gore did). He still sits patiently by the spot on the floor where once a roast chicken fell off the counter, as if there's a secret poultry memorial there and if he waits long enough another will be placed there in remembrance. He'll chase the same ball for an hour, convinced he's on some major breakthrough in retrieval tactics. And he's consumed an entire pizza, a sock, a jalapeno pepper, an empty cardboard box for pistol cartridges and a dead worm, all with the same enthusiasm.
But dogs are more than animals. They teach us about unbridled living in the moment and following your heart. They teach us to appreciate the simple things. . . a warm loaf of bread fresh from the oven, the gentle hug of someone who loves you, the glint of sun off a trout's back in a crystal clear stream, and one last quiet walk as the sky darkens. The other night, when he went into full point on a candy wrapper laying alongside the street, it came to me that in the last five years, he has also pointed me to the things that matter in life. Loyalty, devotion; and love without judgement or strings attached.
Just an animal? So much more I thought, as tonight after a birthday treat, we went for our walk. As darkness fell, he pulled me ahead, running joyfully towards home as up in the night sky, Sirius the Dog Star guided us back.
Kip
HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY BARKLEY!
He's spent many an evening with me, laying at my feet, while the strains of Celtic Women or Bach, played by Andres Segovia on the guitar, filled the house. As I talked or read out loud, his ears would perk up, as if he could almost understand the words.
People would probably think me insane, sitting and talking to my dog, but at the end of the day, as I bustle around the kitchen preparing dinner for friends stopping by or simply sitting quietly with a book, I can talk softly about the things that will matter to me the rest of my life. And he only reacts to the heft of my words or the urgency of tone as I talk -about missing those who are gone, and the nature of terrorism and death and the way I've had to look deep into my own capacities to become the person I am. And if perhaps, as words flow, so does a tear, he will stop whatever he's doing and quietly lick the drops off my cheek, until the thoughts that brought them have gone up the chimney with woodsmoke.
I've had people tell me they don't like dogs -"It's just an animal" I've heard, but those are people that I would chose not to spend time with. Yes, Barkley will never win any awards as a rocket scientist or garner the Nobel Peace Prize (though I did think he'd get one before Al Gore did). He still sits patiently by the spot on the floor where once a roast chicken fell off the counter, as if there's a secret poultry memorial there and if he waits long enough another will be placed there in remembrance. He'll chase the same ball for an hour, convinced he's on some major breakthrough in retrieval tactics. And he's consumed an entire pizza, a sock, a jalapeno pepper, an empty cardboard box for pistol cartridges and a dead worm, all with the same enthusiasm.
But dogs are more than animals. They teach us about unbridled living in the moment and following your heart. They teach us to appreciate the simple things. . . a warm loaf of bread fresh from the oven, the gentle hug of someone who loves you, the glint of sun off a trout's back in a crystal clear stream, and one last quiet walk as the sky darkens. The other night, when he went into full point on a candy wrapper laying alongside the street, it came to me that in the last five years, he has also pointed me to the things that matter in life. Loyalty, devotion; and love without judgement or strings attached.
Just an animal? So much more I thought, as tonight after a birthday treat, we went for our walk. As darkness fell, he pulled me ahead, running joyfully towards home as up in the night sky, Sirius the Dog Star guided us back.