On Hilo Drive, Henny displays a supreme sense of rhythm and rhyme. As a white SUV approaches from the north, my starlet leans her right shoulder into the ground, rolls on her back, and paddles her paws in the cool morning air. The shade from a monstrous maple enables a dewy sponge bath for the wiggling fourleg.
I make eye contact with a curly-haired driver whose mirth mirrors the sunrise. I smile in return as we both roll into our day with an unexpected turn toward humor.
Henny gets up, shakes, and resumes forward motion as if this performance of playfulness is all in a day’s work joy.
As we walk on I hear one Mourning Dove coo to anther, “And humans think themselves superior to animals? That dog is simply fabulous!”
A good laugh heals a lot of hurts.
~Madeline L’Engle
A note:
The chance that they will see this is small, but I hope this shoutout to RN Jacob and CNA Maria touches anybody experiencing a need for medical care. Our systems might still be evolving toward good, better, best, yet I choose to believe healthcare professionals, when treated with trust and respect, will give their all to their patients.
Jacob and Maria — Thank you for the kind attention and care you gifted my 89 year-old father during his hospitalization. Thank you for listening to and for laughing at his jokes. Thank you for raising your voices so that he could hear with his bad ears.
Together we made the best of it.