Today is the birthday of two women I admire greatly. The younger is a highly-evolved, curious and witty woman I consider a dear friend. The elder is my esteemed mother, a free spirit who set the example for me to think in unconventional ways, to listen to my instincts, and let my creativity be my driving force. I am grateful for the continuing presence of both of them in my life. I should work towards introducing them to each other. I think they would get along swimmingly.
One of the things my daughter disliked about her ex-roommate was the girl's inability to view their combined cats and dog as anything but possessions. She didn't recognize them as living beings with full personalities and emotional needs. We in our family may be guilty of going to the other extreme, of assigning too much cognitive ability to the animals who live with us, but I think I much prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt, to find their own sweet spot between pets and independent actors capable of abstract thought. For years, my professional eater dog has done the same pre-meal dance, a complex number (in dog terms) that she choreographed herself, every single time she is fed. She stands up on her back legs twice, and then sits. When she's really excited, she hops a little. The red-headed dog is prone to depression, during which he will go days without eating. In an attempt to make him feel engaged, lately I asked him to sit before being fed. He is starting to play along, and customize his moves. Unfortunately, he is a bit of a comedian, so he switches it up or makes jokes of it. Yesterday when I asked, "What's your move," he sat, paused, and then scratched himself with his foot. A couple times, when I asked the question, he whipped his head around and alerted on the French door. Today I understood, and said, "Your 'thing' is not to kill squirrels. Do something else." He sat. And smiled.
Happy birthday, mama. Happy birthday, K. Apparently this is a really good day to create gypsies who know how to find the beauty in life.
In the voice of George Tekai, "Oh My".
ReplyDeleteYou are the best, Anne! I miss you tons, lady.
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