Dogs Always Make Me Laugh, Air Hugs & Other Meanderings

Our dog is a smooth-haired fox terrier who runs figure eights in the yard and plays soccer and with actual headers. Truth. My friend thought her new llasa apso was digging for cat droppings only to find the pup had discovered those tasty delights, earth worms. Honestly? I simply adore puppies, kittens, dogs, cats, horses, wild animals (with the exception of bears and sharks) and children. Their natural innocence and wildness and sense of adventure also never ceases to amaze me.

Candidly, I am one of those over-sensitive people who wakes up already over-stimulated. Rollercoasters? You would know I was out of my mind if you saw me get in line to ride one. Okay, so when my kids were adolescents I did go with them at Disneyland not because I wanted to, but because I wanted to demonstrate that it wasn't about fear. It just hate that kind of physical stimulation. Give me a hug and we'll get along just fine, of course, you'll need to initiate it unless I know you fairly well.

Okay, if I just met you and like you I might hug you as we said good-bye, but I have learned to always just open my arms wide. That way I have given you fair warning, and if I suspect you are the least bit uncomfortable, I'll make it a joke and give you a Hollywood 'air' hug. (Six inches of separation sort of thing for those of you who've never been to Southern California.)

We Americans are all so love-starved since Bush was in office. Hell, we used to be treated like the sweet, overweight people we are, but now? We're bad because we consume so much (poor sustainability behaviors) and bad because we can no longer consumer so much which has created a huge economic slump around the world.

In Europe a few summers ago my son and I were fascinated to see lovers passionately making out in public in Madrid. He was in his early twenties and thought it was 'super' and candidly? So did I. Of course, PDAs are probably more important there as extended families of several generations often live together, providing little privacy, but I think that's great. Children and old people should enjoy seeing affection between each other, couples and within families. Although teenagers find their parents' behavior disgusting as a rule, younger ones smile, giggle and laugh. That can't be bad, can it?

That's all for today, amigos. Enjoy life while it lasts.