Monday, January 30, 2012

A limit to politics

An extremely well written and poignant piece by Jan Riordan regarding the illness of her dog Reggie. My guess is that her husband had to go through it a few times before he could read it on the air.
I find it moving in part because I have heard Jan talk about that dog and I know how much she loves him. But,  even more so, because I suffer from - and glory in - the same attachments. We had to put down a couple of Goldens within several months of each other in 2010. On the way to the vet, I stopped and bought the big guy, Derry, a hamburger. He couldn't stand up anymore but he enjoyed that burger.

He trusted us to the end. I wish we deserved it.

I think she's right in that there is a sense in which these guys are better than we are. They can't take care of themselves but there is a very real way in which they take of you. They require something from us that requires a deeper understanding of who we are.

Not a bad life if you can do that.

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