the dog

Woody. Sweet, smelly Woody.

Once upon a time I thought my success would be measured by home ownership, a job I loved, and a yellow lab. A yellow lab named Amarillo. But, I'd call her Rio, because I'm so clever. The home would be a fixer upper, an old one. The job would involve the theatre, the real kind, roles as lovely, earthy, strong leading ladies.

Add two decades.

These days, the measure isn't all that different, and I'm living it rather than dreaming of it.

First, my dream measure didn't include a partner or a child. Lucky for me, real life does. In addition to learning that I don't have to do everything myself, I also learned that a man with tools and know how makes home improvement much easier. Alright, admittedly the whole husband deal provides myriad benefits. For instance, laughing is way more fun to do with the love of your life than, say, alone in a big, old, fixer upper. And, parenthood? Beyond my dreams. Perhaps that's one of the great ironies of life. We can't ever know how amazing some experiences are until we, we'll, experience them. Becoming Zane's mom was like the scene in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy opens her eyes in Oz for the first time and everything is in color. My kid makes life Technicolor.

Our home is, indeed, an old one. Unlike my future forecast, however, I didn't buy this one in a triumphant real estate deal. Nah. Instead, I found a fella who happened to own my dream house and married him. All right, that is kind of like triumph. (He's pretty great! Not old. No fixing needed.)

And the dog? The dog. First, in real life, I've finally admitted I'm more of a cat person. Second, Woody is neither a girl nor a yellow lab. But, he IS my hubby's constant companion. And, my son has been known to announce the dog's awesomeness to all who have ears. My personal win? The chores of dog ownership like feeding and brushing and picking up poop are usually taken care of by the guys. This is an exceptional win over my hopes as a twenty-something.

Finally, the job. Well, I'm no famous actress. Truly, I never had it in me. What I do have in me is a teacher's heart. Lovely, strong, earthy leading ladies are now what I hope to cultivate in my classroom. It's a good gig. The house is usually packed, and the audience members just keep coming back.

So, Woody. Odiferous, softly sighing Woody. He sleeps here next to me this evening, relaxed and content in this home, this life. Just like me. Well, minus the "fragrance". I smell pretty good.