I was crying
and I blamed it on the sad story
I was reading
about a dog that died
but whose spirit filled the room
and maybe the whole house,
maybe the whole country!
and suddenly
I was crying not because of the story
but because it occurred to me that I was alone
and no one might love me quite like that dog
loved its human
and I swear the geranium on the windowsill,
all Valentine-heart red and mid-summer green
said, Oh for crying out loud
(which I was)
don’t be silly.
You’re hardly alone
or unloved.
And I realized that was true,
that I was surrounded on all sides by life
and that some of its forms
(family, friends, cat, the chicken next door -
even, possibly, the geranium)
loved me,
maybe more than I loved myself.
I felt better after that
and was able to get back to the rest of the book
and the rest of my life.
14 comments:
LOVE here ---
and all those listed THERE ---
and everywhere, I think, Pauline.
(including the Valentine-heart red and mid-summer green geranium)
I could use some dog love right now--unconditional, generous, wholehearted. So much we could learn from our four footed friends.....Love to you Pauline from here.
It's funny J, what comes to mind when reading someone else's words. Chords are struck, things are made clear. It was a passing moment but it was a real one. Thanks for the love from there :)
Molly - the book was real, and the moment, though the story was fictional. It's called Sight Hound by Pam Houston and it's got some powerful insights told from a dog's point of view. I figured my hearing the geranium was no more odd than that. Thanks for beaming love my way :)
smiles. a beautiful realization...you are not alone and you are loved...wish everyone realised that...
Brian - it has been my experience that when you insist on feeling unloved, you are, no matter how much others may love you. It's the self-realization, the self-love that has to be there before you can believe someone else loves you. The dog in this book sort of upset that theory...
Good, so good you realized you are loved... this is the third story related to dogs I've read so far today (?)
Great write
:-)
Funny how the empathy can grab you and set off a few other thoughts. You also have a good group of blogger friend who share your life.
pauline there are so many layers to love and certainly affection and care are so close to the surface that their absence can cause us to forget or overlook the presence of the deeper layers of love that are constantly with us. you're loved! you surely are! steven
Some days we simply like to wallow in self-pity. Thanks for reminding us to wake up and smell the geraniums!
Thanks Dulce - I like it when my set ideas get a tumble. Makes me think.
OOTP - that's the mark of a good book, if it can set you to thinking beyond your cherished beliefs by tapping your empathy
Steven - layer up on layer upon layer. Love is like an onion, sort of. I have always known underneath everything that I am loved - it was the dog's insistence in this book that to teach his human she was loved he must love her first ran contrary to one of my pet theories (no pun intended!)
Barbara - I think it was more introspection than self-pity that the story engendered. I have no doubt I'm loved - it was the quality of that dog's love and its insights into how love works that made me question.
I love it - this sounds like me! lol
Thanks Hilary :)
Barbara S - I imagine many of us have similar doubts. Mine just happened to be banished by a talking geranium ;)
Love this. Reading here has brightened my day! Thankyou for your ongoing kind words.
meggie - so glad you stopped by!
Post a Comment