Welcome to my high-speed train of thought that has regularly scheduled trips daily. Now that I am truly, maddeningly mid-life, it's become a new source of anxiety for me. But, I continue to play ping pong with my thoughts and try to stay in the moment and more importantly, ENJOY the moment. It's the one time knocking things out of bounds is good.
Speaking of time flying, my sweet little "poodle" is now, somehow, 14.5 years old. Technically, 14.583 years old. And man, it's gone by fast! In a sweet collective consciousness conspiracy, I snapped this photo of a photo at work the other day and then stumbled into her Origin Story earlier tonight.
I was watching an episode of Will & Grace and Eileen Brennan was on, wonderfully, as Jack's acting teacher and I thought to myself, "I should look for Clue on Hulu or Netflix." Only, I didn't feel like getting up to get the Apple TV remote, so I decided to search regular cable, assuming it wouldn't be on. Damned if it wasn't set to air -- on a channel I actually get -- in 30 minutes.
That just seemed like a little too much coincidence for me. And so, how Bodhi the tall beagle mix came to be:
I was living in Richmond, VA and at some point thought a small dog would be a good idea. I'd only had one before, as a child, and my father won him in the divorce. My mother got me. I think it was no contest both ways.
I digress.
While I thought getting a small dog might be a good idea, my landlord most definitely did not. But I was looking for a new place with two friends and thought I might be able to squeeze a dog into the equation. One of the friends and I were hanging out one night and decided to rent Clue. I strolled the few blocks to the Video Fan, my local rental place, to see if they had it and when I approached the counter, there was the smallest of dog crates on top. I thought it was empty. But tucked away in the back, next to and about the size of a plastic croissant, was the smallest of Jack Russell (or so I thought at the time) puppies.
Oh my. I was a goner.
Louise, the clerk, sensed my melting and took the puppy out of the crate for me to hold. She was a pro. She said the puppy had been abandoned; tossed over a fence at Powhatan Animal Control. Friends of hers who lived on a farm took the puppy in, but already had a bunch of rescues and couldn't keep another one. Louise offered to bring the puppy with her to Richmond with the hope that someone would adopt her.
And so, I found my dog at the video store.
I still wasn't allowed to have one in my apartment. The first weekend with her, I tried taking her in and out of the apartment in a duffel bag when she had to go to the bathroom so no one would see her. The landlord and his mother (who by then was renting the apartment above me) happened to be around A LOT that weekend and quickly busted me. But once they saw her, they quickly fell in love and changed their minds about the pet policy. The mother changed her mind back once Bodhi started digging in all of her outdoor potted plants, but that's another story.
When it came to naming the puppy, I was stumped. Clue seemed like a cute idea, especially since I was studying forensic science at the time, but it didn't seem right. I was also watching a lot of Wallace & Gromit and she would pad pad pad pad through the apartment like Gromit, but her coloring was different. Somehow, finally, after a couple weeks, I settled on "Scooter."
The next time I brought her into the video store (seems all local non-chain video stores allow dogs) and had to tell people her name was Scooter, I felt a little silly. It didn't seem like an adult-given name. Sure enough, one customer asked if my kids had named her and another told me his dog was also named Scooter and that his 4-year-old son named the puppy.
Back to the drawing board.
I was reading a lot of books concerning Buddhism at the time and had learned that the Bodhisattva are awakened or enlightened beings and help others become awakened/enlightened. At the same time, we were using a company named Bode (pronounced the same way) at work. One of my friends mentioned that his supervisor was obsessed with, "Bode Bode Bode!" and the pieces started to fall together. She was "awakening" me several times a night, after all. And so, she became Bodhi Sattva.
And now that she's 14.583, she's back to awakening me several times a night. Is this the Dharma Circle? :)
1 comment:
(((((Bodhi)))))
She will always be loved...and she will always love you.
Rainbow Bridge:
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
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