“There’s no impulse more reasonable than love.”
from the movie, The Wall
A heartbeat later, I would silently defend my parenting: “What about CREATIVITY, the fostering of it, isn’t THAT important?” (nothing to do with consistency) or “FLEXIBILITY, how ‘bout that? Do you know how many maladjusted rigid adults I know who would rather be consistent and die than loosen their reins on control and FLEX?!!” (I’m so GOOD at turning on a dime!) “And what about mirroring?! Isn’t the business of letting your children feel seen and heard, no matter how annoying or inconvenient, important – even if it means struggling to employ the ‘one-two-three’ method of time outs with any real efficacy?”
There’s a muzzle story here, which I will tell in its briefest version. The muzzle that was recommended by an expert (to whom we paid a substantial sum) arrived in its box last week, and sits in its box, still. Neither K nor I can bring ourselves to open it. I actually feel sick at the thought of putting it on Finn’s face. Yesterday, the adoption liaison called to check in. “A muzzle can really make a problem worse,” she cautioned. “Finn was beautifully socialized with dogs as a younger puppy.” And that was that. I’ll ship it back, unopened. Did I really need permission to trust my instincts? Apparently.
Next. This is true – care of a dependent will look different depending on one’s charge – their ages, abilities, and personalities. I’ll never forget sitting in a circle at a gym class for toddlers and watching D at about age three run full tilt through the group — almost like it was an obstacle course created for his pleasure. There were lots of cups of hot coffee on the floor. D wove in and out deftly and I watched as one hand after another flashed out to protect or move the mugs. A chorus of gasps rose up. But because what you live with has a way of becoming invisible, I was surprised. I thought: “Oh, yeah, their kids aren’t like this.” Their reactions reminded me that D had off-the-charts physical dexterity, so much so that it hadn’t occurred to me to worry about those cups of coffee. And trust me when I tell you, I worried plenty about other things!
Even recognizing this truth about different beings requiring different kinds of care, this morning I found myself judging a car-seated, pot-smoking dog owner whose huge white husky snuffled the edge of the Upper Field, probably just on the edge of voice range.
Because of Finn’s leash aggression, for now I will only approach the Upper Field if I see that no other dogs are present. Today, I saw no dogs, so Finn and I traipsed down the short road leading to the field. As we neared, I caught a strong whiff of the distinctive odor of vaped pot. (Let’s not ask WHY I’m familiar with this signature smell, let’s just say, I am). Being Sunday it was a little surprising to see someone parked there for a break, even though it’s common during the week. When I turned to scan the field one more time, I understood. Snow-covered grass. Pure white dog. No wonder I hadn’t seen him.
Fortunately, Finn didn’t notice him. The bacon-infused treats remained cupped in my left palm.
So, I trotted with Finn toward a sloping path that dropped us to the dumpsters behind the school, and continued home without incident.
Let me wrap this ramble up by noting that before leaving the schoolyard, I had time to wonder if it wasn’t perhaps MORE weird to believe the impossibility of strange and marvelous events unfolding in my life than to deem such events utterly beyond the pale of possibility. My rational mind could be the deficient one.
I didn’t inhale THAT much passing the car of the pot-vaping dog-owner, by the way, but I did watch some Deepak Chopra on TV yesterday.
* In a rush now, will come back and properly attribute this illustration to artist. I believe it came from an illustration in “East of the Sun, West of the Moon”. I believe it is copyright-free. More later. Also, that’s a screen shot from the Game of Thrones above — a show that C watches but D doesn’t.
I’m so relieved you are sending back the muzzle! Loved the whole “ramble” very funny with sweet surprises from life’s triumphs and why magical experiences and visions can be so healing.
Me too. Glad i mean.
new dog + empty nest = magic days with lots of time to take the long way home
And we are… Taking the long way home. In sun, ice , snow, rain, and bitter cold. Getting to know the neighborhood in a whole new way, among other things.
What a great post Dee! From puppies to children to East of the Sun, West of the Moon….so many associations and thought prods. I loved how the unseen white dog metamorphosed into the magical polar bear. I, too, second guessed and struggled with my parenting choices. It sounds like your list of consistencies is pretty close to mine. Finn is a catalyst and a stir stick. Good dog.
Thanks Dana. He sure is — a catalyst and stir stick!