spirit flows thru -- Alison Rittger's spiritual reflections on finding the holy in the daily
 
PictureContemplative Mood / Alison R.
One thing being small has taught me – self- aggrandizing doesn’t work. No matter how loud a growl or high-pitched the yip, size still counts. That’s the message from the street.

So I have cultivated quiet qualities to get my needs met. Trust is one. There is something about the round brown quality of my quiet gaze, the confidence in her love I radiate when I tag after mom or leap into her lap and curl up, always at an angle so that when she looks down, she sees in my eyes the unwavering trust I feel in her willingness to respond to me.

But I do know how to cower and do it once my bark exceeds my growl and mom shoots a stern look at me and says “Foxie, no.” She says it several more times, racing after me as I lope toward the door. Her hand comes down on me, not hitting actually but with authority. That’s when I lie down and look way up, directly into her face. My tail goes down, my ears go flat. She knows she has me this time until next time.

Adopting postures which demonstrate trust is part of my arsenal of charm, as is exuberance. I show joy whenever I feel it. I leap and race around, landing on a toy to make it squawk. I shake the green fish or the foxieball – both can make noise if played with just so. It’s hard for mom not to find me adorable and that is a good thing – a survival skill actually.

I like toys though not as much as I like food. A good pull can separate me from my toys whereas I cannot be so easily parted from food, any food whether I find it on the street or I am given it at mealtime. I clamp my teeth hard and so far I have not bitten mom when she panics on our dark walks and tries to undo me from a French fry.

A third quality that makes me a spectacular pet is the affection I have no trouble showing. It is not an affectation at all. I feel genuine liking for mom and many of her friends, particularly the shorter ones. Size doesn’t matter when folks sit. The other day mom said I was a service dog and took me into a café where she gathers with women she likes and they liked me a lot. All of them have pets of their own. One held me on her lap and zipped me into her jacket. She was sitting next to mom so I made eye contact whenever I needed to be reassured that the lady’s zipper could come down as easily as it went up. Even an animal with great trust can have a wary moment.

Did you notice how I didn’t crow about being house broken? I came from Animal Care aware of where and when to sprinkle and spray. I have marked most every tree and pile of leaves on McAllister and Fulton from Franklin to Laguna. That’s probably how it is we make it safely up and down those streets at night. It pays to be a creature of habits. Fortunately, most of mine are good.

Thank you for reading my self-assessment. I hope you feel as upbeat about yourself as I do about myself. And I hope that you have qualities that attract the attention and affection you deserve. If not, mom says it’s never too late to accumulate.





Natalie
11/5/2013 02:32:20 pm

Great


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