I’m not a parent. But I can imagine the joys of watching your young child experience the world for the first time, because I’m getting the exact same joy with my puppy.
(Just kidding. I know parenthood and pet ownership are vastly different. BUT that is my baby and I am his mama, so we do have that in common!)
My puppy, Kevin, came to live with us in June at four months old. Now, he’s eight months old and a whopping 85 pounds and as precious as ever.
He’s a bit of a menace at times (I owe a handwritten apology to Hayner Public Library District for the two library books he destroyed) and a true joy most other times (he cuddles with me every morning, making it extremely difficult to get up for work), and I love him.
This weekend, we decided to give Kevin a new experience: a bonfire. As far as we know, he’s never seen a bonfire before. This is his first fall! And with temperatures dropping and a clear Saturday night with the stars shining overhead, it felt like the perfect time to do it.
I once helped raise a kitten named Franklin and I remember the delight when he got to see snowfall for the first time. Franklin is now well-versed in snow and season changes and all of the above — he has lived with my parents for several years now. But every time it snows, I still remember that little black kitten staring transfixed out the window. It makes me smile.
Similarly, Kevin has yet to experience snow and changing leaves and all the fun fall/winter activities. We’re going to take him to look at Christmas lights! He will likely topple over all the ornaments on our tree! He is loving the open windows and cooler temperatures, as evidenced by the pure joy he felt on Saturday night bolting through the backyard as we sat around the fire.
You know how you kind of want toddlers to develop a healthy fear of strangers? I felt the same desire as Kevin crept closer to the flames. He has seen a burning candle, but never a bonfire. “Keep back,” I warned him, and he finally did. But he was definitely curious.
He spent the night running circles around the fire pit. We made s’mores and he chomped on a graham cracker. We had carved pumpkins earlier that evening; he licked the deck boards, savoring the pumpkin guts detritus we couldn’t totally sweep up.
He is a Good Boy.
I’m excited to show Kevin all the other fun things out there. It’s kind of like the poem “Good Bones” by Maggie Smith. I’m trying to sell Kevin on the world. In doing so, I’m falling back in love with the world, too. It is wondrous that snow falls. A bonfire on a fall night with good friends does make life beautiful. I’m sure Kevin isn’t having such existential thoughts about it, but I hope he has a good time. This is a lovely life. I hope he is enjoying it.
