Thanks For The Time

I am sitting at the computer and a beautiful white head appears beside me.  It is soft white fur when I touch it, I feel my heart swell and skip a beat.  It is my Phalen; I would know that big gorgeous head with my eyes closed.  He has stopped by on his rounds to say; “HI Mom”.  I stop typing, thank him for his time and kiss his head.  He looks at me with those big beautiful brown eyes and is gone in a flash.  Two seconds later I hear him jump on my bed and try to eat his sister Abby.  It is music to my ears. 

Life is busy and I never have enough time for the things that I really want to do.  I am busy chasing my dream, driving a bus to pay the bills while that happens, social responsibilities, housework and the list goes on.  I often worry my own dogs get cheated by my busy schedule.  I worry that they could be so much more or do so much more if I were here with them more often.

Moments like today when my dogs choose me over everything else in their world, are balm to my soul.  I feel like it is there way of endorsing and supporting my dreams.  As if they are saying “It’s OK mom, we understand and we are here to help make your dreams come true”.  It would be easy to dismiss it as wishful thinking on my part, but it’s not.  My dogs are honest, much more honest than me.  I admire their honesty and hope I never take it for granted. 

I try to explain this concept to students, acknowledging when your dog chooses you and they look at me with blank stares.  I am up against trainers and a society that misconstrue this beautiful communication.  It is not a demand for attention, it is very different.  It is a soft, beautiful communication.  A moment of pure love, a moment when my dogs take the time to come and tell me how much they love me and how important I am to them.  People have so much to learn from dogs!

So to my beautiful babies, Wolf, Riley, Sheena, Foxy, Abby and Phalen….thank you for the time, thank you for the feel of your fur, thank you for teaching me to be a better person, but mostly thank you for loving me…warts and all.