Three Turns Before Laying Down

Dogs have an awesome capacity for earnest momentary surprise. A condition most often noticeable when asked if they want something – to go out, take a walk, have food. As if in that instant the idea is a never-before-heard concept, and the greatest ever uttered to them. One they never thought you would ask. There is an implicit expectation, and trust, that comes with it, that what has been said is what will happen. And if the action is not taken immediately, there is a sad sense of letdown.

In spite of my general pessimism toward people, my inclination likewise is to accept them at face value. Call it what you will – naivety, gullibility, stupidity – but it comes from the desire to be treated in kind. Who I am on the surface is a manifestation through and through, without apology, of who I am at the core. My expectation is the same of others, maybe hopelessly at times, because without it there cannot be an honest connection. Fortunately, the principle has served well over the years in the development of even the remotest of relationships.

Even so, the most sanguine person still can find reason to re-examine the faults and regrets that can cast their shadow. At times, I tire of thinking about my own – things I should have done, could have done, might have done; people I should have been with, could have been with, might have been with. For the exception of a few instances, it is not a lament of the decisions that made it otherwise. Rather, makes me wonder if I followed the correct path at all, or wandered from it. One does have to consider “if not that then this, if this then not that.” As much a haunting reminder it may be of the uncertain future, the past is indeed the past.

For the life of a dog, there is no such bothersome lasting concern. They frolic from one activity to the next, never conceding to significant reflection on any matters other than the immediate need and/or want. If only our human lives were as uncomplicated, recognizing the importance of turning three times before committing to a comfortable spot. Perhaps only momentary bliss, it is an earnest surprise to find such a state of contentment.

©2012 Steve Sagarra