And then suddenly, without warning or indication, I found myself in the very middle of it.  Yes, swiftly and abruptly, with no hint or heed, the horrendous noise filled the room.   The world shook and trembled.   It was if the bowels of the earth had suddenly opened, and the desperate howls of the darkest demons were escaping.

But.  All of this shameful and tumultuous melee seemed to be coming from our two dogs.  Our little 20 pound dogs.

Now I have learned that when two dogs fight, it is best not to put a bare hand in the midst of their mouths.  I have watched other poor saps suffer that way.  No.  Our two Terriers were in the midst of World War III.  I knew better than that.

I am a old soccer player of long ago.  A defensive back.  So I know how to move a soccer ball from the grasp of a striker.  This is the tactic I would employ tonight.  I maneuvered my way in….. AND…. all the while…. Mary is yelling  “Polly! Polly!”  Now this wasn’t the chanting, cheering “Polly! Polly!” that used to swell in the soccer stands.  No.

This was more like a voice of discouraged bargaining. So again… in I went… a little dribble there… a side block there…. and then….

And then it happened.  I finally joined the ranks of 4.7 million other Americans.  I was bit by a dog.  Our dog. My dog.

Which one … I will never, ever, know.  I can only be sure of one thing.  It WAS NOT Francis, the Saint.

All of this…   tonight.  When I arrived home this evening, I had simply hoped for a quiet evening.  In fact, on my drive back to Preble County, I had PLANNED on a nice and restful dusk after such an arduous day.  A steaming shower perhaps.  Or a nice quiet meal… or maybe a cup of hot tea.  Anything… to take the weariness of this day from my shoulders.

Yet the universe had slightly different plans… in this part at least.

Ahhh.  But truth be told.  I loved life on this day.  It may not have been the day that I pictured… or even had planned out… so nicely in my head.  Not at all.  Yet I still love this day.  I had the good and generous fortune of being with people….. …. and dogs…. who I love very dearly.

Though I have sustained a bite or two along the way…. I do not mind.  Not one bit.

It reminds me that there is no certainty, or absolutes.  And for this reason, I have every reason, to be glad about the now.

I’m also glad for the thick denim found in Levi Jeans.

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad
– Maria Von Trapp, The Sound of Music

I believe that love and laughter can only happen when one person takes the time to think about what would cause the other person to feel good. – Yakov Smirnoff