Mini and Me

Andy and I chose to have a movie/wine night tonight....NOT a good choice. WHO in their correct and sane mind chooses to watch Marley and Me on their movie in night...SERIOUSLY? Being a weird dog person...correction, being a weird animal

 (in general) person (who blames her weird animal-loving-ness on the fact that she, 4.5 years ago, fell in love with a 1.9 lb rat terrier) cannot watch a acting horse go down on an action war flim....let alone a pup, being put down through a series of old-age-doggie problems on a romantic family comedy...what was I thinking?

I remember the day I really, honestly realized that Mini would die. A friend from work came in puffy eyed saying that his mom had to put his childhood dog down...("down" whatever that is supposed to mean) and how sudden it was and how terribly sad he was. I comforted him and then it popped into my mind...."HOLY SH029384209**T! Is that going to be Mini???" 

As I spoke, for months, about wanting a dog...hearing lecture after lecture after tid bit after tid bit of advice (that was appreciated but almost 110% unasked for:)...no one ever said, "hey, Kirty....you know you'll fall madly in love with a pup and then someday...she'll leave forever?"  Oh NO, they said, "are you aware of how much dogs cost?" "you know you'll have to potty train right? That means, most likely, picking up lots of poop?" "you are aware that a dog will live for years...you'll have a dog for 12 years!" None and I mean NONE of that scared me, or created a desire in me...to NOT get a dog. 

Now, if one of those ever so sweet advice givers said, "you know...your pup will pass away some day...and it'll be exceptionally sad...worse than Dinah (my sweet Siamese cat who passed away when I was a freshman in high school, my best friend and first pet...I never knew life without Dinah)...a different and miserable sadness" I may have rethought things. Then again, I couldn't imagine my current daily life not involving poop scooping, dog feeding, and tennis ball throwing. In fact, as difficult, utterly joyful, incredibly annoying and extremely "growth-causing" as it has been to have a pup, I wouldn't give my last 4 years as a dog mom up...ever, or for anything....

As I sit next to my sleeping husband, thankful that he has fully and effortlessly fallen in love and thus "adopted" my (first) love...Miss Mini, my eyes are swollen and my nose completely stuffed and NO, it is not from allergies. My miserable appearance is from the last 20 minutes of Marley and Me...which I cried through....embarrassingly and non-stop. What can I say? I'm a weird dog person.

But there is more of a message here. There is a beauty to falling in love with another being. May it be your husband, your 1st, 2nd, 3rd child, your job, your home church or even your first dog, there is a beauty to love that just simply cannot be defined. When I was teaching in India, I remember feeling love like I never had before. The love of children. OH!  To feel this wholehearted love that effortlessly pumped through the veins of these small children...OH! What a magical feeling...I wish I could feel that feeling daily. Sadly Mini does not express the love that a 9-year-old Indian child does but boy, does her little inch long wagging tail greeting me at the door make my day (and even turn my day completely around)! Does her smiley face greeting me at my arrival home and jumping up onto my lap, uninvited, as I sit on the toilet first thing after coming into the door make coming home (especially before Andy does...which is my regular) make my day worth it? Absolutely. She was, besides my husband, the best choice I have made in my 23 years of life. She makes Andy and I more than just a married couple, but a little family. And boy....ohhh boy...does she make me excited to have babies someday! If I can love my future child even half as much as I love Mini (OKOK DUH...I know...this is silly but go with it for my sake), I will be the happiest of mothers (with LOVED kiddos! yey:) 

Pets bring joy to the lives of humans, bring poo to the lives of humans, bring unwanted hair, torn up shoes (or undies...Mini's puppy speciality), a constant snuggle buddie, and a bill free heater to the lives of humans....and Praise God for them:)

Right after she got her new dog-bed.....

Just Mini

Andy and his "not-child"