Happy Three to Lily D
Today is the birthday of Miss Lily D! Lily gets a new collar every year on her birthday, so today we’ll mosey on over to Bark and pick out something pretty and hip and Lily-like. We may also order a new custom-upholstered bed for her, so it might be a really good day to be a pug at the ranch. And then she’ll get some extra treats, and a bath to make her smell like lavender for a very short while. We celebrate birthdays pretty seriously around here. Even half-birthdays (mostly mine).
Lily has taught me many things during the past three years. She lives completely in the moment, and needs only food, water, sunshine, and LOVE. This dog is a love sponge. She allows herself to receive endless amounts of love and affection, never fighting it, never questioning motives, never wondering if she truly deserves it. She knows she does, because she is a little living, breathing thing. She’ll take it all in, then she’ll roll over and ask you to rub her belly. I need to be more like that.
Lily has also been responsible for turning the conversational topics around here squarely toward the subject of poo. We’re totally comfortable talking about poo in this household, even while preparing or enjoying food. It can range from did she/didn’t she to how many/how soft to the following conversation we had on Friday:
SD: Guess what Lily did this morning?
SM: Does this have to do with poo?
SD: (Surprised at SM’s poo-intuition) Um… yes, actually.
I went on to tell him about our very talented pug, who delicately and accurately placed her morning poo exactly upon the length of a northwest slug. Wow. She seemed extra proud of herself that morning, and when I walked over to pick up the poo, I was proud also. I bet not many dogs are able to manage this sort of thing. I picked the poo up off the slug, and muttered a brief apology. The slug seemed rather passive, as slugs generally do. Along with pride in my dog’s nuanced sense of humor and sniper-like aim, I did feel some interest in what the whole episode was like for the slug. Shane assured me that the slug didn’t have an “experience” at all, in that it only has a few neurons. I’m not sure I agree with that. I like to think that the slug now sees me as a great goddess who swoops down from the heavens to remove the poo with which one has been smitten.
I’ve been reading lots of writing by parents of small children, and there are two very clear themes that have emerged. One is folks being constantly taken aback by their deep love for their children, and the other is folks constantly dealing with a new and apparently prolific source of poo. Poo is a BIG topic in the parenting world. The most common words of wisdom we receive from parents go something like, “be prepared to love more than you have ever loved before, and be prepared to have poo smeared on your clothes.” At this point, I usually look down at what I ‘m wearing, try to imagine poo smeared across it, and totally fail. Both the poo and the inconceivable amounts of love (even in the face of all that poo) have to be experienced to be appreciated, I guess.
I’d like to think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be for all of this, and I think Lily has helped me. Though I am an obsessive housekeeper, her toys can litter the floor, and I don’t mind. Pet food bowls are everywhere, and our sleek furniture is accompanied by puffy dog beds in every room. She is sitting on my lap as I write this, snoring loudly. Before we got a pug, I wondered if the snoring would bother me, since Shane’s snoring does. Instead, I find Lily’s snoring comforting. It actually helps me get to sleep at night. My world has curved around this dog a little bit, and it is a beautiful thing. I cannot conceive of my life without her in it. Happy happy birthday, my sweet Lilyanna. Lucky me, to have a tiny black snorting cup-of-love like you.