Golden Thoughts from Charlie

A couple years ago, when I was in the midst of a writing dry spell I let Charlie “write” a blog post, and apparently he got the blogging bug. A friend who spent several hours with Charlie this morning suggested when I picked him up that she thought Charlie might have something he wanted to “say” through the blog, and so once again I am letting Charlie woof his mind. So, without further ado, Charlie’s thoughts for today:

What a lucky dog I am -- sleeping on the couch and sharing my life with Spiderman!

Me and my boy Jesse cuddling

I am so glad I am a dog; after nearly nine years of living with them, I’ve come to the conclusion that being a human must be exhausting. 

First of all, I can cheerfully accept that I don’t have very much control, except for those all-too-rare times when I can get on the same wavelength as my “mom” and get her to understand what I want.  Even when I am able to communicate to her how badly I long for a walk, or to be petted/loved, or a treat, she gets to decide whether and when it actually happens. Often she doesn’t have the time or it’s not necessarily good for me (like when I show her how much I want to help sample her cooking or clean up the leftovers after dinner and she gets impatient with me). I accept that she calls the shots, forgive her and just go lie down somewhere (like on the couch; she lets me do that – see how lucky I am?) and take a nap, and I continue to love her anyway, no matter what she decides. Deep down I know I can trust her to do what’s right for me.  

And what wonderful walks I get to go on sometimes!

On the other hand, I have seen her get really upset or sad when things happen she doesn’t agree with or doesn’t like.  For some reason my love and acceptance of her, just the way she is, don’t seem to be enough for her. She sometimes wants validation from other people and, when she doesn’t get that or believes she doesn’t, she imagines people either don’t like or respect her or even notice her.  She sometimes seems to measure her value based on her perception of what other people think of her. Knowing how self-absorbed and complex all humans can be, this is really silly and, like I said, it must be exhausting!

Even as good as she is to me and as much as she loves me, I know sometimes she has bad days. If I measured my worth based on the times she scolds me for tearing up important papers, tracking in mud or stealing my boy Jesse’s food, I might be sad too. But I know enough to let those little hurts go and choose to focus on all the loving things she does for me and has done for me all my life.  The walks she takes me on, the petting, when she talks to me and we cuddle, that really big long joy-ride we took in the motor home – those are the things I think about and focus on, and they help me remember how much I am loved.  

Besides that, I know I am a dog. I am proud to be a dog – especially a golden retriever! I know that mom loves me and that, really, pretty much everyone loves me. If a few people or dogs don’t, I’m okay with that too, because I have plenty of love in my life. And I know that the Creator, Father Dog, the Great Coyote (we all have different names for Him/Her), thinks I am perfect just exactly the way I am because that’s how He made me.  I don’t need to do anything to earn love; really, it’s all over out there.  Love is in the tall grass I like to run through that gets burrs and seeds in my coat. It’s in the water I like to wade and swim in and even the rain puddles I splash through. It’s in the mud I roll in, the smells I sniff on my walks. Love is in my boy Jesse, his dad Karl, my friend Tom and all the rest of my family and friends and their dogs.  Love is even in the squirrels I get to chase.  It’s in the rain and the sun, certainly in my food and occasional treats. It’s just everywhere; I don’t even have to go look for it like I do the old bones I buried last summer.

Of course, I know I’m a lucky dog. I have a loving family, a warm home, enough food; many dogs aren’t as fortunate as I am. And I always remember to be thankful for that; I know I don’t have to do anything to earn or deserve it. It is all goodness and gift that just comes to me.  Sometimes mom forgets how blessed she is. After all, she has me and I love her always, no matter what. But I’m not the only one who loves her.  I wonder why I – a dog -- can accept that I am lovable and that all creation is steeped in love, and she has such a hard time remembering how lovable and beloved she is.

Why is it so many humans think they have to work to earn love or that they don’t deserve love when just the very fact that they, like me, were created by a loving Creator makes them inherently lovable? Their lives would be so much simpler and filled with joy if they could all just accept that, learn to love themselves – their good parts and their not so good -- and love each other. Maybe if they all learned how to love as much as golden retrievers – okay ALL dogs – do, they wouldn’t have to be so violent and end up hurting and killing each other and even sometimes themselves.

So now I think it’s time to go rest my head on mom’s lap, remind her I love her and see if I can get her to scratch my ears.    – Charlie