I’m a list-maker and as I write this, I face my usual crammed-full, ever-lengthening holiday do-list that includes gearing up for taking the new website live. Still, I suspect that most people would consider my list laughably simple compared to their own. But it seems like a lot to me and even overwhelming on some days, so much so that this probably will be the shortest commentary I’ve ever written.
Naturally my list got me thinking about its fulfillment as it relates to my animals. This resulted in the troubling realization that in many ways my do-list is all about me, self-absorbed wretch that I am. Nor do I think I’m alone in my orientation.
The truth is that for many of us getting everything done that needs to get done during the holiday season is based on the assumption that all nonhuman household members will cooperate. They won’t swallow ribbon, drag the new baby’s toy under the couch and have at it, knock over the tree, or eat food meant for guests and barf up same on the bed. They won’t terrify carolers with their yodels, barks and howls, express their anal glands and take off when they see Uncle Joe dressed as Santa, or curl their furry bodies around Grandma’s neck as they purr, suck and knead the fake fur collar of her robe. In short, they will behave perfectly.
And what might they wish regarding our behavior during this same period? I created an even longer list trying to answer that question. In the end I tore it up and thought about the two things most pet dogs and cats enjoy most: sleep and play. That seems like the perfect holiday animal barometer. If they’re sleeping or playing by themselves or with each other, then all is well. But if they’re getting into trouble, sniping at each other, succumbing to nonspecific gastro-intestinal disturbances, then I need to calm down. When I do, they do. They and their predecessors have proven that to me time and time again and no doubt their successors will too.
And when they do, it’s the most perfect gift I could give them and they could give me. If you don’t believe me, try it this holiday season. Treat yourself to a dose of the human-animal bond at its very best.
Naturally my list got me thinking about its fulfillment as it relates to my animals. This resulted in the troubling realization that in many ways my do-list is all about me, self-absorbed wretch that I am. Nor do I think I’m alone in my orientation.
The truth is that for many of us getting everything done that needs to get done during the holiday season is based on the assumption that all nonhuman household members will cooperate. They won’t swallow ribbon, drag the new baby’s toy under the couch and have at it, knock over the tree, or eat food meant for guests and barf up same on the bed. They won’t terrify carolers with their yodels, barks and howls, express their anal glands and take off when they see Uncle Joe dressed as Santa, or curl their furry bodies around Grandma’s neck as they purr, suck and knead the fake fur collar of her robe. In short, they will behave perfectly.
And what might they wish regarding our behavior during this same period? I created an even longer list trying to answer that question. In the end I tore it up and thought about the two things most pet dogs and cats enjoy most: sleep and play. That seems like the perfect holiday animal barometer. If they’re sleeping or playing by themselves or with each other, then all is well. But if they’re getting into trouble, sniping at each other, succumbing to nonspecific gastro-intestinal disturbances, then I need to calm down. When I do, they do. They and their predecessors have proven that to me time and time again and no doubt their successors will too.
And when they do, it’s the most perfect gift I could give them and they could give me. If you don’t believe me, try it this holiday season. Treat yourself to a dose of the human-animal bond at its very best.