Animals will teach you about yourself, more specifically, animals will tell you if you are a jaded, dark vortex surrounded by walls made of mortar and dragon-stone. (Yes, I miss Game of Thrones).
To be fair, a lot of us have built up these walls to protect ourselves from the world, from judgement, from abuse, from cruelty. Doesn't matter the reason, sometimes artificial armor (like lot of makeup or overly coiffed beards) or emotional armor (not smiling at strangers, pretending to have your headphones in your ear to avoid contact, walking fast to avoid catcalls) is damn near necessary.
But let me not presume... I don't know all of ya'll so it may be best if I speak for myself.
There is one dog in particular who helped make some of my armor come crashing down. Meet Junior, or Junie for short. A small, loud, needy, thirst-bucket with a pension for human food and human touch. Technically she "belongs" to my sister but with the amount of dog-sitting that I do, I feel like I have co-parenting rights.
When I tell you I used to RUN for high heaven when whenever I saw a dog. You couldn't get me near a dog to save my life.
EMBARRASSING STORY-TIME:
One day I a group of us kids went to the home of our daycare owner because she had a pool, it was too hot, and field trips were expensive. We enter the house and I began my anthropological analysis of her home. Ms. Nabila, the daycare owner, was from the Middle East and she had one bi-racial daughter in her twenties and I was the oldest of of a very large Nigerian family. I was intrigued by the similarities and differences of what a "home" was.
I'm casually making a mental note of her Designing-Women-meets-Golden-Girls design aesthetic WHEN OUT OF F*CKING NOWHERE, A GOLDEN RETRIEVER WITH DJ KHALED LEVELS OF HYPENESS CAME BOUNDING OUT OF SOME PRIVATE DEAN OF HELL AND YA GIRL... RAN! I flew up onto the couch of respectable company and stood there like useless goat stuck on a volcano surrounded by hot, flowing, molten lava. When I say fly, I mean ffffflllllyyyy. Not jump. Not hopped, ya girl flew. Fun fact, that's the same day I almost drowned in a pool. Imagine if that dog, who's advances I'd shunned, who could probably swim, would have been forced to save me? I would have been a gone-er.
EMBARRASSING COLLEGE STORY-TIME
Then came college. People would always let their dogs run free in Harvard Yard and there was no way I was going to make it to Chem 5 if I couldn't walk past their over-eagerness to "get to know me." It may have been part of why I never did finish being PREMED. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
Time passes and my baby sister is gifted a puppy, Junie. About a week into my constant interaction with her, I realized, I'm wasn't deathly afraid anymore. Her reaction to me is pretty much one of a constant need for snuggles, cuddles, and human body warmth. Like... she is a genuine thirst bucket.
My reaction to her? I care if she's had enough puppy massages. I get stressed out when I realize it's been several hours since her last walk or poop. Or how she happens to know when I walk in the door and starts barking *my* attention. There are other people in the house ya'll! How does she know and sense the heaviness of *my* gait? And that shit is high-key annoying for someone who likes peace and quiet and stress free zones.
But you know why she's awesome? She forgives. She loves. Freely. She's brought out a softer side to my entire family. My Nigerian mom wakes up and buys chicken... for Junie! One of my brothers jokingly let it slip that Junie was lowkey a therapy dog for him.
To be honest, her arrival helped me get through one of the darkest time in my life. She was a gift in more ways than one and I am forever grateful that the "walls of defense" I created were trampled by this little white-and-peanut-butter-colored nugget of a dog. She's the best.
Junie, if you can read this, the family loves you.
(Actually Junie, if you can read this, we have bigger problems.)
To be fair, a lot of us have built up these walls to protect ourselves from the world, from judgement, from abuse, from cruelty. Doesn't matter the reason, sometimes artificial armor (like lot of makeup or overly coiffed beards) or emotional armor (not smiling at strangers, pretending to have your headphones in your ear to avoid contact, walking fast to avoid catcalls) is damn near necessary.
But let me not presume... I don't know all of ya'll so it may be best if I speak for myself.
There is one dog in particular who helped make some of my armor come crashing down. Meet Junior, or Junie for short. A small, loud, needy, thirst-bucket with a pension for human food and human touch. Technically she "belongs" to my sister but with the amount of dog-sitting that I do, I feel like I have co-parenting rights.
 |
| Junior "Junie" Izuegbu (and one of her favorite toys laying in the back) |
EMBARRASSING STORY-TIME:
One day I a group of us kids went to the home of our daycare owner because she had a pool, it was too hot, and field trips were expensive. We enter the house and I began my anthropological analysis of her home. Ms. Nabila, the daycare owner, was from the Middle East and she had one bi-racial daughter in her twenties and I was the oldest of of a very large Nigerian family. I was intrigued by the similarities and differences of what a "home" was.
I'm casually making a mental note of her Designing-Women-meets-Golden-Girls design aesthetic WHEN OUT OF F*CKING NOWHERE, A GOLDEN RETRIEVER WITH DJ KHALED LEVELS OF HYPENESS CAME BOUNDING OUT OF SOME PRIVATE DEAN OF HELL AND YA GIRL... RAN! I flew up onto the couch of respectable company and stood there like useless goat stuck on a volcano surrounded by hot, flowing, molten lava. When I say fly, I mean ffffflllllyyyy. Not jump. Not hopped, ya girl flew. Fun fact, that's the same day I almost drowned in a pool. Imagine if that dog, who's advances I'd shunned, who could probably swim, would have been forced to save me? I would have been a gone-er.
 |
| Me: the lamb/ Dog: the predator (I SAIDT WHAT I SAIDT) |
EMBARRASSING COLLEGE STORY-TIME
Then came college. People would always let their dogs run free in Harvard Yard and there was no way I was going to make it to Chem 5 if I couldn't walk past their over-eagerness to "get to know me." It may have been part of why I never did finish being PREMED. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
 |
| Don't let this submissiveness fool you. That ball is red for a reason. |
Time passes and my baby sister is gifted a puppy, Junie. About a week into my constant interaction with her, I realized, I'm wasn't deathly afraid anymore. Her reaction to me is pretty much one of a constant need for snuggles, cuddles, and human body warmth. Like... she is a genuine thirst bucket.
My reaction to her? I care if she's had enough puppy massages. I get stressed out when I realize it's been several hours since her last walk or poop. Or how she happens to know when I walk in the door and starts barking *my* attention. There are other people in the house ya'll! How does she know and sense the heaviness of *my* gait? And that shit is high-key annoying for someone who likes peace and quiet and stress free zones.
But you know why she's awesome? She forgives. She loves. Freely. She's brought out a softer side to my entire family. My Nigerian mom wakes up and buys chicken... for Junie! One of my brothers jokingly let it slip that Junie was lowkey a therapy dog for him.
To be honest, her arrival helped me get through one of the darkest time in my life. She was a gift in more ways than one and I am forever grateful that the "walls of defense" I created were trampled by this little white-and-peanut-butter-colored nugget of a dog. She's the best.
Junie, if you can read this, the family loves you.
(Actually Junie, if you can read this, we have bigger problems.)
 |
| How can you not cuddle her. Junie... you da besssst! |