According to Sam and Jim Commenting on things that irk us off, make us laugh out loud or just seem too weird too believe According to Sam and Jim: Wud U Wike A Widdle Wallow?

Monday, January 7, 2013

Wud U Wike A Widdle Wallow?

One of the great joys of life is having the opportunity to wallow in something we really enjoy.

One definition of “wallow” would be to live self-indulgently; luxuriate; revel; enjoy the complexity of a situation - or just enjoy the moment, as we like to say.

Henry David Thoreau apparently was a bit of a wallower. He secluded himself in the woods and reveled in the realization that the animals around him were happy with the simple things in life, and tried to emulate them.

The fact that Sam is an animal who likes to wallow was brought home to me Saturday at the end of our walk. As I was wiping the dirt and water off his feet so I could put him back in my truck I noticed a huge pile of Christmas trees being collected in one area of the parking lot. Since I had been pondering what to do with our discarded tree, I decided to investigate.

The Boy Scouts were collecting trees from various neighborhoods and bringing them to the park, where the trees were loaded onto a semi-truck and hauled off to the dump. As I was talking to a Scout Master about going home and fetching my tree to add to the pile, Sam, unbeknownst to me, was engaging in a little self-indulgent wallowing.

Another definition of wallowing, according to the dictionary would be, “to lie in water, snow, dust or the like, as for refreshment” or “rolling oneself about in a lazy, relaxed or ungainly manner. : to devote oneself entirely; especially : to take unrestrained pleasure.”

When I finished talking to the Scout Master and attempted to walk back to my truck, I felt a strong resistance on Sam’s lease and a young boy laughingly called after me, “Mister, you’re dragging your dog.”

Sure enough, Sam was just totally wallowing in the mud, muck and fir needles at the tree drop-off site, - relaxing in an ungainly manner - rolling around with wild abandon, with all four paws in the air, a big ol’ happy doggy smile on his face. OMG! He was covered from head to toe - a total mess. But he sure looked like he had been enjoying himself. I tried not to yell at him and cuss at his sorry sight. He made a mess inside my truck then in the laundry room at home. Arrgghh! As Kathleen kept reminding me though, “He’s just a dog.” Good thing I love the little poop.

Sam reminds me that I too like to wallow on occasion. Don’t you? I like to wallow with my coffee and a blanket on the couch in the morning. Will you wallow in the joy of a good football game on Sunday? How about a movie? I’ve seen people wallow in church, rolling around on the floor hollering at Jesus to save them. Some people wallow in self-pity or imagined illnesses.

One thing I really like to wallow in is a nice vacation. Earlier this morning I was wallowing in reminiscing about my vacation to Europe in the late 70s’ Boy, I’d like to go back there again. I think I most enjoy just wallowing in silence though, in the still of a nice day, a little sun on my face, when nobody’s mowing their lawn or driving up and down the street. I wallowed at a friend’s cabin in the silence of the British Columbia wilderness one time when the only sound I heard were loons calling to each other. Three days of that was pure joy.

Happy wallowing to you! It’s okay to be self-indulgent sometimes. Three bags of poop on not allowing yourself to wallow occasionally. It’s so-o-o relaxing.

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