And so it came to pass that though the dog was an utter darling he was quite incapable of discriminating between foodstuffs and precious belongings and she who was in charge of him tried all manner or remonstration and failed on every single count.
The list of the things said dog destroyed? Three bras. Two pairs of wellingtons. An entire
Hells bells, yes. The dog ate my sanity.
But this post isn’t about the dog. Had ya fooled there didn’t I? No, this post is about my attitude to all the things the dog has eaten.
You see just this morning, Alfie walked past me looking rather pleased with himself so I ran up the stairs three at a time and there spread across the laminate floor of my bedroom was what remained of a very beautiful, very old, scrumptiously illustrated copy of The Water Babies I have treasured for many a year. I grabbed what was left of the front cover and stomped back down to confront the perpetrator of said mis-demeanour and found him apparently under attack of the kind sudden sleep which seems to take both babies and puppies mid-morning. The kind of attack I myself would occasionally give in to where it not for the fact that I have myself utterly convinced that the sleep police would attend my premises and remove all means to a cosy nap should they discover me comatose at eleven in the morning.
And then I went back up stairs, brushed up the mess with my handy little attached sweep and pan and then got distracted by something I saw out of the window and completely forgot to attend to the lack of rage I was apparently feeling. Or not feeling. For there it was: a big old empty hole devoid of all the kind of outrage I would have long suspected I would feel should I find anything other than a fluffy woof, apparently hell-bent on systematically destroying all the pretty, precious things I own.
This isn’t, I don’t think, because Alfie is too cute to stay cross with for long. No. It isn’t that. It seems, you see, that I have developed a curious lack of attachment to almost everything in my life, beyond the people I love. This might just be, because I have read so many books about de-cluttering that I have been brain-washed into truly understanding that things, even things apparently of value, or loaded with projected emotion, actually do not mean anything at all. Nothing. Nada. Nought.
You see I stood there staring at what was left of The Water Babies and I thought about salvaging it along with the rest of the mighty high pile of dog-chewed books, until it suddenly struck me that there was no point. It was just one
Its just a
So next time you find yourself staring at the ruined remains of something you have convinced yourself you love, detach it from a heart with far too many ribbons wrapped around memories. Detach it, and know that we are lucky enough to live in a world where almost everything we own can be replaced or usurped by the next object, the next moment to be enjoyed, the next treasure to be temporarily guarded.
It’s all just stuff my darling. Just stuff.
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I’m trying to have a massive clearout at the moment. I am meant to be working on the cellar right now but keep finding things to do and read! This kind of detachment is what I need to remember as I work my way through things, that they are just things and the memories are what are most important.
Thank you for this today x
This was a lovely post. Thank you because it was good to hear (read). It reinforces the direction I have been going as I put things in the trash or donation box that I never thought I could part with.
Gingers Adventures, Ladybird books.
😉
Ps. Our puppy ate the piano!
I have the loft to tidy. A family of 10 could live up there happily as so much furniture and crockery mirrors pictures chairs et al. Would welcome Alfie to help me de clutter.
Exactly! and amen. I am purging our bookcases. Alfie is welcome to come help. I have books I have never read and do not intend to read. Why should they take up value space of books that are truly loved. I have a vast amount of paper that needs to go away. Clothes that we do not use or wear that I am sure someone else would love. I feel lighter already. Wonderful post. I believe I have a copy of The Water Babies around here also.
Well, aside from the de-attaching…..puppies do best when well supervised. We usually set aside the kitchen with gates or some such or a crate, when our puppies are young (and sometimes that can be up to a couple years old). And in they go when we cannot keep an eye on them. Because, unfortunately, even though most of the chewing goes away when their teeth come in, sometimes they have created bad habits in the meanwhile and who wants to let a good puppy turn into a bad dog. 🙂