...Me, I live for being nice. I wake
up ready to be nice. I go to sleep dreaming of how nice I will be the next day.
As my Mom tells me, I am like the sweet gooey
center of a jelly donut. If I had my own
car, the license plate would read NCESHAMZ.
One day my Mom and I
were visiting a patient. I knew the man
was nice, but for some reason he wanted the world to think he was mean. He scowled and acted like a grumpasaurus. I just sat in my Mom’s arms, as I do, and looked at the
man as he ate his pizza. The man tried
to ignore me, but soon he succumbed to my animal magnetism. (Everyone does, sooner or later.) He asked my Mom, rather grudgingly, “Do you
think he would like some pizza?” Would
I ?!? I LOVE pizza! It’s my favorite food, next to chicken. My Mom responded, “Well, you can offer him
some.”
I sat up even straighter, and my tail started wagging uncontrollably. The man tore off a small piece of the cheesy
crust and held it in front of my face. I
took the treat from the man’s hand, being careful not to slobber, and I ate it daintily. My Mom taught me good table manners. Just because I look like a dog doesn’t mean I
have to eat like one. Afterwards, I
blissfully licked my lips and looked into his eyes again, hoping for more.
Instead, the nice man (for he was nice, despite acting so gruff) said, “You know, the little
bugger just sits there looking at me, like I could be a decent person. He makes me want to share... Stupid little bugger.” He said a few other words that I’m not
allowed to repeat. But he was smiling inside. And then he gave me another little bite. My Mom later put me down onto his lap, and he stroked my head gently with his big hands for a while. He loved me.
Now, I’m not sure what a “bugger” is, but it kind of
sounds like booger. Even though he was
calling me strange names, the nice man liked me and wanted to be nice to me. I think it is easier for humans to be nice to
dogs because we’re so adorable and we’re so happy for every little bit of
attention and kindness. And maybe because we return the love so happily, too. We all have the capacity for kindness and love. But sometimes humans need some help at sharing emotions and expressing their niceness. Maybe, if they just thought of other humans as funny-looking dogs on two legs, being nice might be more of a breeze...
People can practice being nice on me anytime.
More pizza, please.