Skip to main content

My Dog, Cont'd.

 I'm thinking of my dog in this new year. I can't see him; my husband and I are in quarantine. (We're fine.)


Wise teachers say not to start the new year with a diet; a diet is punitive, and it almost surely means that you'll end up gaining five pounds. Instead, we're all told: Practice self-care. Meditate. Take walks. Perform loving acts for the people around you.

It strikes me that "self-care" is Salvy's M.O. It's what he pursues--always. Clearly, this fellow doesn't have a neurotic relationship to food. He walks, and thinks. He snuggles with his toddler.

Marc and I can at least chat with Salvy via Facebook. "Happy New Year!" wrote Marc. And, oddly enough, Salvy replied. "Happy New Year!"

Short, sweet, to the point.

I noticed that Salvy chose not to mention my COVID diagnosis, but I'm electing not to see this as rudeness. I think Salvy is saying: "You're fine. You have Netflix. Let's not be melodramatic."

I'm looking forward to reuniting with this guy.
Labels:

Comments

  1. KathyJanuary 5, 2022 at 9:02 AM

    I'm so sorry that you're quarantined and that Salvy isn't able to be with you - I've begun (thinking of pets) to start each morning with about 15 minutes of a show called "Too Cute" on animal planet, which follows kittens and/or puppies through the first few months of their lives - who needs the news when you can start the day with a smile on your face! Happy 2022, and may you all be reunited soon...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ReaderJanuary 6, 2022 at 5:17 AM

      Thank you, Kathy, and Happy New Year! The actual symptoms are next to nothing for us. We're eager to move on. It's a strange time for the planet. I know I'm very lucky to have a fairly low-stress quarantine (after three Covid shots) -- but still I'm frustrated. I hope that school is managing OK in this weird month!

      Delete
    2. KathyJanuary 6, 2022 at 12:26 PM

      Glad that everything feels "next to nothing" - the booster seems to make a huge difference! School is weird, like the rest of the world... we're all hoping for a snow day!

      Delete
    3. ReaderJanuary 8, 2022 at 4:49 AM

      Me too! Or a snow month......

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Host a Baby

-You have assumed responsibility for a mewling, puking ball of life, a yellow-lab pup. He will spit his half-digested kibble all over your shoes, all over your hard-cover edition of Jennifer Haigh's novel  Faith . He will eat your tables, your chairs, your "I {Heart] Montessori" magnet, placed too low on the fridge. When you try to watch Bette Davis in  Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte , on your TV, your dog will bark through the murder-prologue, for no apparent reason. He will whimper through Lena Dunham's  Girls , such that you have to rewind several times to catch every nuance of Andrew Rannells's ad-libbing--and, still, you'll have a nagging suspicion you've missed something. Your dog will poop on the kitchen floor, in the hallway, between the tiny bars of his crate. He'll announce his wakefulness at 5 AM, 2 AM, or while you and another human are mid-coitus. All this, and you get outside, and it's: "Don't let him pee on my tulips!" When...
3 comments
Read more

Joshie

  When I was growing up, a class birthday involved Hostess cupcakes. Often, the cupcakes would come in a shoebox, so you could taste a leathery residue (during the party). Times change. You can't bring a treat into a public school, in 2024, because heaven knows what kind of allergies might lurk, in unseen corners, in the classroom. But Joshua's teacher will allow: a dance party, a pajama day, or a guest reader. I chose to bring a story for Joshua's birthday (observed), but I didn't think through the role that anxiety might play in this interaction. We talk, in this house, quite a bit about anxiety; one game-changer, for J, has been a daily list of activities, so that he knows exactly what to expect. He gets a look of profound satisfaction when he sees the agenda; it doesn't really matter what the specific events happen to be. It's just about knowing, "I can anticipate X, Y, and Z." Joshua struggled with his celebration. He wore his nervousness on his f...
2 comments
Read more

Josh at Five

 Joshie's project is "flexibility"; the goal is to see that a plan is just an idea, not a gospel, not a guarantee. This is difficult. Yesterday, we went to a restaurant--billed as "open," with unlocked doors--and the owner informed us of an "error in advertising." But Joshie couldn't accept the word "closed." He threw himself on the floor, then climbed on the furniture. I felt for the owner, until he nervously made a reference to "the glass windows." He imagined that my child might toss himself through a sealed window, like Mary Katherine Gallagher, or like Bruce Willis, in "Die Hard." Then--thank the Lord!--I was able to laugh. The thing that really has therapeutic value for Joshie is: a firetruck. If we are out in public, and he spots a parked truck, he wants to climb on each surface. He breathlessly alludes to the wheels, the door, the windows. If an actual fire station ("fire ocean," in Joshie's parla...
Post a Comment
Read more