“Keep love in your heart,” suggested Irish writer Oscar Wilde. “A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.”
I’m never short on love. But lately I’ve been wondering about that thing people say about distance making the heart grow fonder. I’m not so sure that’s true.
It’s been months and months (which feels like years in doggie time) since I last saw my dearest Taffy. My first love. And while I can’t say I will forget her, my heart has been wandering lately. More accurately my eyes have been wandering and taking my heart along for the ride. There is this lovely lady Lucy who moved in recently across the street. I gaze at her from my perch in the window when she’s out in the front yard.
As I watched her today I wondered what her life has been like, and what her dreams are. I pondered whether her forever people found her at a puppy store or rescued her from a shelter. I hoped she had never seen or experienced pain like I did before my forever people found me. Then it happened. Guilt. I felt guilty for thinking about Lucy when my heart belongs to Taffy. Or does it?
I don’t think so. I don’t know if our hearts really ever belong to anyone other than ourselves. It doesn’t mean I don’t believe in true love. Or any other kind of love for that matter. But I do think its our choice how we distribute pieces of our heart. My life before I met my forever people taught me how precious our hearts really are. I’ve always had a big heart to offer the world, so I know what can happen when you entrust the wrong person with a precious breakable piece. It doesn’t end well.
This is not to say Taffy was the wrong dog for me to love any more than it means I shouldn’t have loved Tiger and his puppies or Jo and the man with the leather belt. I wouldn’t change how I’ve distributed pieces of my heart so far in life. And Taffy will have a piece of mine with her name on it forever.
I’m not so sure about distance and matters of the heart, but I do know love can be tricky. We win some and we lose some, but (at least from what I can tell) it’s ultimately up to us what we do with the outcome. And I’d rather have too many characters to love than too few. The sun is always shining in the garden of my heart.
Wiley's Wisdom 
That was a nice post, Wiley. Sometimes it happens that love changes to a memory in our heart or in our soul. My first love was the wawa of Jill Zarin from the RHONY tv-show, today she is a funny memory and I must grin when I think about her. The next big love was Beatrice, the Weim from Best In Show movie. As I read that she passed away the love became to a bittersweet memory. Not only love can be tricky, our heart too I think :o) Have a great wednesday Brother
I didn’t think of it that way…love becoming memories. Yet I think that’s exactly what happened. Thanks for sharing this with me brother!
28 Likes and two comments?! Well, you need me, Wyles. Clearly! It is is amazing how our hearts expand and we never, ever run out of pieces…. Love you, dog. HuntMode, Ella & Elby That Cat!
I know! I was surprised at how few people commented on this one. I expected backlash for having wandering eyes if nothing else. But yes-I do need you! Say hi to Ella and Elby for me…give em an extra pat (or three) for me, would you please?
Wyles
I think it was the pic of your new femme fatale – she is something, Wyles! I did give pats and hugs to E & E and they were charmed by your thoughtfulness. “And to you, Wyles” they said, almost in chorus!
Yay, pets all around! 🙂