Beauty is Truth

Truth Beauty
I violated one of my cardinal rules. I just finished reading one of those purebred dog magazines and, of course, I feel like crap. They're all so perfect, no drool, except for the St. Barnards, perfect coats, heads and feet. I don't know why these beauty magazines exist, except to make the rest of us feel ugly and inadequate. My life's not so bad, but I sure feel bad now.

I've tried not to compare myself to other dogs because if I'm obviously better they feel like crap, and my good feeling only lasts a few minutes (that's dog minutes remember so it's not long at all). If I'm worse, which is the case most of the time, I feel bad for days (yes, that's dog days). But this magazine was in the waiting room at the vet's and I couldn't help rolling in it. What a mistake. Now every arthritic joint hurts and I can't look at my reflection in the water dish because I look so ugly. I snapped at the vet and she said something to my caretaker (nobody "owns" me by the way, so I don't have an owner, I have a caretaker, and it's a mutual arrangement.) She said, "Blah, blah, blah, Creak" which I took to mean, "Creak's a real pain in the ass today."

And you know what, nothing she did felt good. Not the special massage, not the hug, not the warm table. It all felt empty because I felt ugly.

No more. I'm not going to compare myself to the other dogs because it only prevents me from appreciating myself. I wasted a perfectly good trip to the vet. Now this doesn't mean that if I see a great Great Dane I won't stop and cruise for a minute (yes, a dog minute), but I'll just admire the beauty, not wish it was mine.

That is all ye know on earth
And, can someone tell me why humans have such a limited vocabulary? All they can say is my name and "blah blah blah". You have to wonder how they invented Pop Tarts and rectal thermometers with such a limited vocabulary. I mean, a puppy knows more words than any human I've ever met. But, then I'm not comparing myself to dogs or humans anymore. It's not fair to me or the other dogs, and it's no challenge with humans. I'm just going to accept them as they are, and that includes me. Hey, who's that cute thing in the water dish?