For many years, I took delight in watching my young children sleep. I would sit on the floor and occasionally wisp the hair from their sweet faces with my hand as I watched with awe and realized how truly a wonder it was that we had been so blessed. I’d often go into each of their rooms in one evening and just listen to the deep satisfying breaths of a tuckered out child after a long, rowdy day. It was one of my favorite joys of motherhood.
I have found a similar joy in my ever-faithful canine companion, Abby, as she snores to call up the dead. She often is dreaming and twitches or kicks a little as she snorts out those deep sleep breaths. It’s actually gratifying to watch her. Recently, her world has changed as we have had our son’s dog, Rebel, home with us. He is a laid back labrador who is not the least bit threatening, if only our Abby, a rather uptight springer spaniel, realized it. By day, they play and chase each other, and often Abby growls at the perceived threat of another stealing her treats. Rebel has taught Abby to “catch” pupcorn treats in mid-air, and they both take great delight in the praises I give them for a well calculated catch. Yesterday, Abby, all worn out from trying to keep up, was napping at my feet and I noticed something I never had before. As she dreamed, her tail was wagging sporadically. Who knows what sweet dream she was enjoying, but I have to wonder if it had something to do with the satisfaction of learning to successfully catch pupcorn.