Last week I wrote about my plans for Dreamy’s upcoming birthday. The little party turned out well. Seven dogs celebrated with him, along with ten people. His cake was made of ten stacked party sausage rolls and one party pie with a number 9 in the middle. Each dog took home a bag of goodies. After eating the cake, some of the dogs got a puppachino. It was a fun time for all the dog lovers who attended.
Dreamy has taught me how to be true to myself. As I said last week, I have showered him with my pent-up maternal love, and he has accepted it, returning it with his own. This has been profoundly healing. My relationship with Dreamy as been instinctual, or intuitive, whereas human relationships are often based on performance rather than authenticity.
There is something about loving an animal; there is an honesty that humans cannot replicate. We tend to suffer from insecurities which animals lack. We fear being misunderstood or judged for our actions and hide our true selves for protection. Animals have none of these fears.
Over the past few days, I have noticed another wall crumbling within myself. In a world which is afraid of love and confuses it with sexuality, Dreamy’s acceptance of my love has freed me to be true to myself, and a deeper self-love on my part has been the result. It is safe with him; he does not judge me, but lives in the moment and receives what I give him.
For me, there is a lesson in this. It is a lesson to not take people so seriously. As humans, we struggle to accept ourselves, much less others. We allow people into our lives as far as we feel safe. We are easily influenced by cultural pressure, and this gets between us.
To love openly in this world is not easy. My motivation has often been misinterpreted. More than once I have been accused of being too friendly with a person of either gender. Now I understand that there is no need for other humans to fully accept my love. It is more important that I accept it myself.
If you have not experienced the love of a pet, I encourage you to do so.
In love, Jenny
