Celebrate

For the record, I did not throw a birthday party for my one-year-old weenie dog and put picture evidence on Facebook. Ok, I lied. I did. I bought a three-tiered treat cake for Fiona and actually wrapped her present.

The realist in me knows that she has no comprehension that Wednesday was her birthday; she probably just wondered why in the world she was dangling up in the air over the biggest treat she’s ever seen. (It’s because I made your dad crawl under the table and prop you up. He was thrilled). Add this to her tally of the other weird things we do on a daily basis.

Who am I? Like seriously. I have a king-size bed, but wake up most mornings falling off the side because a 10-pound little creature has sprawled out beside me. I opt to stay in on nights we’ve been gone all day so I don’t have to see her sad “You’re leaving me again” face.

It’s like Sarah McLachlan and her shelter puppies sent out a magic spell during a late-night commercial or something.

So, perhaps this small celebration was for me. I’ve come a long way. In that time, she’s taught me:

· Being greeted excitedly is so important. Whether I’ve been gone 30 minutes or 8 hours, I get the same reaction: tail-wagging, circle-looping, high-jumping ENTHUSIASM. She’s even peed before she was so ecstatic (I don’t recommend this when visiting your relatives). I can’t even begin to compete with her energy, but I’ve started trying to make an effort to smile more and acknowledge people wherever I go. It really does make a difference.

· Just being there is so important. When my grandpa passed away, I spent most of that morning in bed crying. Fiona cuddled up next to me and just stayed there. She didn’t get all up in my face; she didn’t try to rattle off any condolences (yes, I do realize dogs aren’t physically capable of this); she simply sensed my hurt and stuck it out.

· Being lazy is so important. Laundry. Dishes. Dinner. Full dishwasher. Dirty tile. These are constantly rotating in my head. But sometimes I’m sitting there and she’s sprawled on my lap and I think, ‘Those things can wait. They’re always going to be there.’ And I’m just still. It’s marvelous.

· Being able to forgive is so important. Following a pricey shoe chew, I had a yelling meltdown in front of the poor animal. I sent her outside in fury. I took some time to cool off before letting her come back in. She slowly made her way back in and began licking my face (her “sorry”). I realized that material things are just that—and that momentary frustration with people should never lead to lifetime resentment.

· Being goofy is so important. It’s not an evening at our house now unless the dog has danced to something; rap, a commercial, a solo number by Justin. You name it, she’s done it. Before her, I’m sure there were nights that we went without a good laugh. Not anymore.

There are many more where this came from. Happy Birthday FiFi (also realize she can’t read this); Thanks for everything.

Love, Mom