This morning, I had a meeting to attend. On my way home, I stopped by the grocery to pick up a couple boxes of my favorite oatmeal. The kind with Paddington the Bear’s face on the front of the package. It makes me happy every time I buy this brand. As I worked my way through the aisles, picking up way more than oatmeal, I was stopped. Not once. But five times.
And not by people wanting to know how I was. No. The question of the day, resounded, “Hey! How’s little Lewey?” Little Lew.
So the Puppy Update. He’s doing great so far. He is Puppy. But bright puppy. Shining puppy. Peeing puppy. He is dashing, debonair, funny, clumsy, sweet, and sometimes frenzied. He is extremely energetic at times. But he sleeps in deep puppy sleep too.
He will be with us two weeks tomorrow. Which makes him almost 12 weeks old. Lew weighs a whopping 2 pounds and 6 ounces. Oh, they grow up so fast.
Truthfully, he oozes cuteness, and I love him. Dearly. Ollie has really taken a liking to him. Most of the time. They play very well together and I think they are becoming fast friends.
The other night, Lewey was dreaming, and kind of crying in his sleep a little. Ollie got up out of her doggie bed, crept over to Lew’s and checked on him. She nudged him with her nose to wake him up. Then she climbed up into the dog bed next to him. It was the sweetest thing ever. Ollie has really been golden.
Lewis has been great so far. I keep saying “so far” because I guess he could turn on us at any minute. It has not been hard. Not one little bit. The past two weeks have been filled with the kind of joy that puppies give so freely. Their little spirits are so fresh, and beautiful, and new.
They discover. They learn. They grow. And of course, they pee. But that is easily cleaned up, and eventually, he will be a pro.
The biggest part has been his feeding and medication schedule, which is winding down at this point. Because of his low weight, he had to be fed every couple of hours. And the meds were up to 5 times daily at the peak. As I said, this is notching down now.
My favorite thing about him is when he looks me right in the eye. He does this often, and it makes me happier than buying a box of Silver Palette Oatmeal with Paddington’s face on the box.
I can see by the look in his eye, that he trusts me. He feels safe with me. He loves me.
Isn’t it great how this world works sometimes? We always have peace, and love, and joy in our hearts. But sometimes, finding that place can be difficult. Even hard.
It isn’t entirely our fault. As we grow older, we see the same days over and over. And repetition has a way of making things feel very mundane. Stuck. Tedious. We forget to consider that the world is constantly changing before us. But it is. Each moment, there are countless things happening, right before OUR eyes.
Little Lew, with his playful spirit, his curious mind, and his open heart, reminds us that the world truly is new in every minute. Not only for a puppy but for all of us. And that is the beauty we share with one another, if we are willing. If we try.
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“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”
― Henry James
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“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
― Dalai Lama XIV
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“Treat everyone with politeness and kindness, not because they are nice, but because you are.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
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