Steadfast

Bath day.

“We meet wonderful people, but lose them
in our busyness.
We’re, as the saying goes, all over the place.
Steadfastness, it seems,
is more about dogs than about us.
One of the reasons we love them so much.”
― Mary Oliver

Other than getting another Covid test done this week, I’ve been squirreled away at home, spending time with my husband and Mojo. Trying new recipes, reading new books and enjoying the slow pace of winter. I’m ok with being alone, in fact I prefer it at this stage in my life. It’s always good to visit with friends, but I do not enjoy crowds nor crowded places. I literally hold my breath in large cities, since we are no longer used to traffic or much manmade noise. My idea of an ideal day is a long hike in the woods with my husband and Mojo.

Since I came down with one of the rarest autoimmune diseases known to mankind shortly after moving from our last home, I didn’t have much time to get out and meet many people before illness made simple tasks difficult. Most of our good friends live a long distance away, so it has basically been my husband and myself in the trenches when illness strikes.

And our dogs. We have had three different companions since we changed our address and to dismiss how much support they have given me during the hardest of days (and nights) would be an injustice to their presence. A presence that is reliable and steadfast. A presence that always says they’re glad you’re here. A presence that needs no words. That type of unconditional love is rare to find in people, but never rare in a dog. They are the embodiment of selflessness.

Mojo was badly abused and neglected before he came to our home and it took a long time to earn his trust. He still has deep seated fears but he handles life in his own way and in his own time. It’s just part of what makes him all the more special. We couldn’t ask for a more loving companion and his entire being is totally absent of malice. He brings so very much joy to our days.