09/29/2024
Every day when I come home, thereâs this ritual my dog and I have. It's not about the dramatic tail wagging or the typical "welcome home" excitement. No, this is something elseâsomething unspoken, almost sacred. The minute I open the door, he bolts past me and grabs his favorite toyâa half-chewed, squeaky hedgehog thatâs seen better days. Itâs ridiculous how much he loves this thing, like itâs the answer to every problem in the world.
And then, he drops it at my feet. Not for me to throw, not to play fetch. He just drops it and sits there, expectantly. Itâs like heâs saying, âHere, take this. I donât need it right now, but I know you do.â He doesnât leave until I pick it up, squeeze it a few times, and laugh at the absurdity of it. And thatâs the magicâhe knows how to pull me out of my head, how to drag me away from whatever stress or distraction Iâve brought home.
Itâs not about the toy. Itâs about the pause. About this silly ritual weâve created where Iâm forced to stop and engage with something utterly simple and pure. No screens, no work, no worries. Just him, that battered hedgehog, and the quiet reminder that joy doesnât have to be complicated.
And after I laugh, after I squeeze the toy for the third or fourth time, he picks it up again, satisfied with the job done. No grand gestures, no over-the-top displays of affection. Just a small moment of connectionâone that, for whatever reason, makes everything feel lighter.
In that absurd little toy, heâs telling me what I need to remember: sometimes, the things that matter most arenât the big victories or the grand plans. Sometimes, theyâre just the small, silly moments that remind you to breathe, to laugh, to let go for a minute. And in those moments, I think heâs teaching me more about life than I ever realized.
By Animal Care is Love.