Puppy Zen

Many thanks to all who have commented and wished us well with our new puppy.  Prince is growing and thriving.  He’s learned all about going up stairs, but coming down is still a mystery and an adventure.  Of all the fascinating things in this strange and wonderful world, the most fascinating things of all are still, unfortunately, our feet.  Especially when my wife is wearing those very expensive sheepskin slippers I got her for Christmas this year. 

I will be blogging about the "puppy" experience and sharing it with you here on Mount Vernon Patch. It’s been almost four weeks, and what I am coming to realize is that we not only have a puppy, we have invited a spiritual teacher into our home.  It’s not unlike having babies in the house again, only I was too young to understand or appreciate it at the time.  It’s a lucky parent who understands that their little baby is really a Zen master.  As a grandparent, I see that clearly in our grandchildren.  Maybe that’s what separates parents from grandparents, in the end.  I sometimes wonder how different my parenting would have been if I could have been a grandparent first?  But part of life’s beauty is the sloppy imperfection of it.  The places where the seams don’t quite fit are often the gaps where the glory of God shines through.  

At this point in my life, I simply want to acknowledge the sloppy, spontaneous genius of life, without quibbling.  Because, one thing I do understand now is how quickly life moves.  A poet once wrote that he woke up one morning and found that half his life was gone.  We live our lives in mindless distraction, years pass and by the time we come back to ourselves so to speak, half a lifetime or more has passed.  Having Prince around now is a surprisingly grounding experience.  Each day, when seen through his eyes, is brimming with discoveries and milestones.  This is the gift of innocence that he bestows.  And, I know it won’t be long before he’s bounding down those stairs as fast as he gallops up them.  This is the gift of experience that I bring.  Together, they are a powerful combination, when they are allowed to stand together in a person's life.

Martin Luther, while eating supper with his dog sitting intently at his feet, paused with fork in hand and noted to his dinner guests that he wished he could be as diligent and focused in his prayers as this dog was focused on the piece of meat.  

So, I will try not to become distracted and approach this new venture mindfully.  My wife and I have promised to take a photo every week of Prince, to record the growth that’s happening imperceptibly, every day, right before our eyes.   The growth on the other side of the camera may not be so easy to see, but it will be evident I trust, in countless ways.  For my part I can say, it already is.