Sweat is drying along my hairline.
A few minutes ago….panting, paws, pounding asphalt.
Two cul de sacs added to paltry 1.6 miles.
A small inner tube has sprouted around my waist—effortlessly? Again?
You all know I love to eat.
When we passed neighbor Dave and panting Riley I was thinking of….
Tricki Woo
Mrs. Pumphrey’s Pekingese
James Herriot’s patient
that grew rotund and ill
from too many biscuits
and not enough
physical and mental
stimulation
Mrs. Pumphrey believed herself kind
and yet
she was killing Tricki with
misdirected
love
So Herriot
convinced the matron
to allow a vacation
at Skeldale House
with a rowdy pack
of mixed breeds
Tricki
eyes dim
observed
for a day or two
before joining
the fun
of chases, wrestles, and romps
Quickly
Tricki became lithe and lean
light returned to his eyes
Hate is a deeply stimulating emotion. The world is easier if divided into friends and enemies—good vs. evil. The easiest way to unite a group isn’t through love, because love is hard. It makes demands. Hate is simple. ~excerpt from Beartown by Fredrik Backman
I wish my inner tube was small! I work endlessly out only to be defeated not deflated!
My grandmother used to advise, “Pushing yourself away from the table is the best exercise.” And, not just for dogs, comfort food is quite prevalent for us as well. Because our lives today often fail to provide intrinsic comfort? But double helpings of stress? Backman’s comments speak to at least part of this. We live in increasingly diverse circumstances, from neighborhoods to nation, so categorization and identification has become more complex. With us/them, love/hate more ambiguous, stereotyping “simplifies” our judgments but makes “hate” an easy option. So we eat a double serving of shrimp and grits, extra butter and cheese, please! That even passes as an entree choice here in north Florida. (and elsewhere, of course). Dogs don’t seem to struggle much over whether to play with this mixed breed or the other. Or small children, for that matter. When is the judgment filter turned on? How do we turn it off?