Happy times with family.
The love of a good man.
A happy dog.
Whenever I picture a life well-lived, these three things always make the list.
I’m reading a heartbreakingly funny and poignant book called The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. It’s narrated by a dog with a tone so innocent and open that only two pages in I was choking back tears. I really must be getting old if chapter 1 of a fiction novel has me crying in bed at 10pm on a Saturday night (that, or I really need to get out more).
For anyone who has ever had the pleasure of meeting our dog, Bear, you may or may not understand why we love her so much. Heck, we don’t understand it ourselves sometimes. She’s naughty, fiercely independent and so so proud. If she were a person, I’m not sure we’d be friends. However, there’s something about her that makes our hearts melt so. Maybe it’s because she’s cute (hey, beauty helps). Maybe it’s because she comes running to the door no matter what time of day to greet us when we come home. Maybe it’s because she’s chubby and small and kissable. I’m not sure. But for whatever reason, this creature has brightened our lives in ways that we could never have fathomed.
Even in her most stubborn moods, we can’t help but laugh in amusement. She brings a kind of joy and simple pleasure that’s so refreshing in a household. She’s the only member of the family who can instantly bring a smile to my Dad’s face. And a few minutes spent petting her is like therapy for the soul.
Her constant desire to rid the backyard of trespassing squirrels. Her obsessive need to sniff everything in the neighborhood, no matter how many times we’ve passed by. Her self-proclaimed cleverness in hiding treats all over the house (in the couch, behind the TV, under the tables). The way she looks curled up in a ball when she sleeps at night (our real-life Firefox!). All of it. Every little bit of her. We absolutely love.
Maybe this is what it feels like to have a child. =)
Happy Birthday Bear. Thanks for a wonderful four years of pure joy.
