Attachments

I’ve always been attached to home—no matter where home is. Sophie has her own attachments.

The rule at the park is: All dogs must be leashed. I got in trouble once when meeting a neighbor with his two dogs. In order to keep from tangling leashes while the three sniffed and swapped ends, I released Sophie. Unfortunately, just then another neighbor crossed the street with her own small dog. Sophie was distracted from her greetings and there were growls before I grabbed her. The woman got very upset with me.

When I met her again some months later, she apologized. She’d been upset about losing a pet in an encounter with a loose dog.

In spite of the general leash law, and the park rule, every morning two or three dog owners gather at the corner of the park opposite from the school bus stop to toss balls. If I spot any other unrestrained dogs, I leave the park, but these pets have eyes and hearts only for running, catching, and returning with their balls for their next run.

Usually there are only two: Holly, a black standard poodle and smaller Hita (short for Hijita, meaning Daughter) a friendly, spotted, mixed breed. The poodle wants everyone to join the game. She drops her ball near me, hoping I’ll throw it—which I do, though my tosses are rather feeble. Sophie used to bark at Holly as if a threat, but no longer.

A cold and crisp day is just what gives Sophie lots of energy. She’s ready to play. These mornings she bounces around wanting to run, not after balls but after the other dogs. On this particular morning, I looked around. No one in sight. The school bus had left. Perfect. I released her. But after Sophie sniffed at Hita, she returned to my side and sat.

Her body language was so clear! No thanks. I don’t want to be disconnected. She never wants to appear as a “Lost Dog” on a flyer.

This morning, we circled the park from the other direction. Holly caught her ball and turned back. Sophie took off after; she doesn’t run very far or very fast but I wasn’t ready to dash with her, so dropped the leash. Sophie continued on, dragging it until she ran out of steam, then stopped.

Responding to fears can keep us safe, but often a fear is something we need to push through. By writing and not publishing, I found myself in a gray gloom. When I decided to explore self-publishing, I discovered a renewed enthusiasm, and my world enlarged. There’s such a thing as keeping ourselves too safe.

Sophie’s always watching for the next dog or person she can befriend.

Nothing was ever accomplished by remaining insular. Living in New Mexico with our mix of native Americans, hispanics, and every other race, creed, and gender, my vote goes for the acceptance of differences, for immigrant rights, for expedited entry of refugees, and for automatic citizenship of every child raised in this country.

To both of us, home is home. Everyone needs and deserves a place where they can feel safe