September 15, 2011
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UNCONDITIONAL LOVE: PRINCESS YIN
Unconditional love sounds wonderful in theory. It is almost unattainable in practice. At least as applied to members of the human species. At least in my experience.EXCEPT FOR MY RELATIONSHIPS WITH MY ANIMAL COMPANIONS.
LET ME EXPLAIN...
Let’s start with the earliest people in our lives – parents.
My mother, Sadie, expected me to fulfill frustrations in her own life.
My father, Louis, had no expectations of me at all.
Teachers expected me to pay attention, follow the rules, don’t speak unless spoken to.
Boyfriends and husbands expected to mold me to suit their desires.
Children? Rearing children is not a two-way street. The system doesn't work that way!
Our first family pet, who joined us when I was about eight, was a tawny Pekinese, Ching-Ching.
He expected – and got – unconditional love from us all.I have always, since then, loved Pekinese.
So, when many decades later, having been without an animal companion since youth, I spied a three month old sleeve Pekinese in a shop window, it was irrevocable love at first sight, (Sleeve pekes are so called because they were bred pint-sized originally to be carried by royal Chinese ladies in their kimono sleeves.)
This was Saturday. I asked the owner, Lisa, to please hold her until Monday since the store was closed Sunday.
Tha night while having dinner with my significant other, Ira, I announced that I was in love.
He turned white as the tablecloth.I explained that the object of my affection was a Pekinese puppy. He said he didn’t like Pekinese.
I said “Just meet her.”
Monday after work we went to the pet store. Lisa lifted this two pound bundle of joy and placed her in Ira’s arms. She went wild with excitement, climbed up his sleeve to his shoulder and couldn’t contain herself another moment. She peed all over him.
HE WAS SMITTEN.
I NAMED HER YIN, THE CHINESE WORD SIGNIFYING THE FEMININE PRINCIPLE. IRA DECIDED THAT DIDN’T QUITE SUIT HER HIGHNESS AND ADDED THE TITLE “PRINCESS.”
I CALLED HER “YINNIE.”
For the next seven years or so she literally saved our relationship as we suffered family hardships and he began to decline in health.
He adored her and, though she loved her mommy, she was the quintessential “daddy’s girl.”
She loved to wear her blue Yankees hat, stopping traffic as everyone admired her.
As his end approached I consoled myself that I would have Yinnie for comfort and company.
GO FIGURE.
She left six months before him, of a sudden, incurable infirmity. I figured she knew I was the stronger and would survive our separation better than Ira. She wanted to be first in line to welcome him home.
I better close before I flood the computer.
ELEVEN YEARS LATER I AM CONSUMED WITH
AND OH SO GRATEFUL FOR
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
