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Puppy love

Waylon loves the couch. He isn’t allowed up unless he is calm and sleepy. He can’t get up by himself, though he hurls himself at it when he’s feeling feisty. I wait, though, ’til he’s all drowsy and sweet before I give him a boost up.

And it’s a big boost. We went to the vet for a check up and he weighed in at 31 pounds. He’s like picking up a frozen turkey. The vet was kind to me, recalling that we’d spoken so recently about Tyler’s necropsy. And then she took a very, very long listen to Waylon’s heart, which — it dawned on me as she listened and listened — was because she was being especially careful on my behalf.

Waylon’s nervous system is distinctly different than Ty’s. He is not exuberant like Ty. He’s given to puppy craziness, of course — wild, frenetic running and jumping and sliding through the grass in the backyard. At the end of one of his crazy runs, he even had grass stains on the top of his white head. But he is thoughtful and holds a bit back for the most part. He’s friendly with people and dogs, but deeply suspicious of mechanical things: the cars, the TV, the washing machine, the refrigerator.

It’s fascinating to watch a creature manifest its personality. And yes, I mean all creatures — dogs and cats and kids alike. All with our own unique nervous system, but all part of an all-encompassing nervous system. The variations within the whole are pretty awe inspiring.

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Speaking of nervous systems. Check out Owl’s astonishing post about Sri Narasimhan. The comments on this entry are well worth reading, too.

Even though I practice every day, I often forget what yoga is about. This is a terrific reminder.