Thinking Out Loud, Volume DXVI

A few things I've learned from my dogs: *We can grow and thrive on a lot less food than we think. We have two miniature Schnauzers, both weighing less than seventeen pounds, and I think they would eat all day if we kept supplying them with food, but that's not what the veterinarian said to do. One half cup in the morning and a half cup in the evening, and no more. I can't say that we humans would be that much different from the dogs, yet we have access to all the food we want, resulting in us consuming much more than what we really need; and trust me, I'm talking to myself as much as anyone. I also feel that we sometimes try to force our kids to eat more than they need, when we're really just teaching them to overeat. *Life goes so much more smoothly when we learn to forgive and forget. My dogs don't always get their way. For instance, when they get a bath, you can rest assured it is completely against their will. We have learned to give Fontenot his bath first, because when Nellie gets hers first, Fontenot knows he will be next, so he goes and hides under the bed, refusing to come out. Then, as soon as the baths are done and they've had a chance to roll around for a while on the carpet or the sofa, they're both ready to sit in my lap and let me scratch behind their ears for a while. They may not even understand why when they lick me I don't lick them back, but they never give up on me. When Nellie wants a little pinch of my banana and I don't give it to her, I know she's disappointed, but she's always willing to show me some love, whereas we humans may hold a grudge for days or even weeks. *When I'm happy to see someone, I should make sure I let them know. When I have been gone for only a few minutes, my dogs hear the garage door opening when I drive up, and they are waiting at the door when I walk in, making no effort to conceal their pleasure at being in my presence again. There are friends and family I love spending time with, but sometimes I'm afraid that in my effort to be cool, I may neglect letting them know just how thrilled I am to get to spend time with them. What a shame it would be if they left thinking I wasn't too happy to see them. Our dogs haven't learned the art of hiding their feelings, so we know when they act happy to see us, it's for real. Actually, come to think of it, the ONLY time Fontenot is NOT happy to be with me is when he's getting a bath or when we're taking him to the groomer. And even then, when I go to pick him up from the groomer, he's thrilled to see me again. *It doesn't matter how big or how nice my home is. Nellie and Fontenot would be happy living with me in a three story mansion, but they would be equally happy to be living with me in a two room shack down by the river. The size of my bank account or how much I paid for my car means absolutely nothing to them. Just having the assurance that they are loved by us and we are loved by them is all they ask. They are not trying to impress the other dogs at the park with just how fancy their collars or leashes may be, or even what color they are. I feel sure those thoughts never enter their minds; they just want to have fun and when they leave, they want to go home with me. To be honest, we have it made. We've grasped the concept of communicating with written or spoken words; we have the option of becoming highly educated, which gives us the possibility of putting a lot of money into our bank accounts; and we have opposable thumbs, giving us the ability to pick up objects off the ground without using our mouths. However, the real question is, "Are we happier than our dogs?" I'm not too sure about that. Preston